A Very Public Romance
by Kiki Warbler
Summary: John Morrison is involved in a car accident, and it makes him start to think about things.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

It all happened way too fast. The busting glass, the squealing tires, the honking horns. It moved way too fast for my mind to comprehend, but somehow it did. It happened, and I couldn't avoid it. I just didn't remember Teddy being there. But I thank god he was. I'm sorry, I'm getting ahead of myself. My brain's a little mushy these days. I'm John. John Hennigan, known to WWE fans as Morrison. You know, the Monday Night Delight, the 'Shaman Of Sexy' and all that shit. To my Twitter followers, I'm TheRealMorrison. This is my story. It's got drama, romance, sadness, anger, regret, pity and love. Most importantly, love. So, sit back, relax and enjoy the view, kiddies as we look back over the six months that changed my life the most.

**Six months previously….**

This was a big match for me. I was facing my friend, John Cena for the WWE title. I mean, come on, it's the WWE title. The biggest title in the company, no, not just the company, the world. The freaking WWE title! And I won. I was riding high from the victory against him when I extended my hand. Cena took it and hugged me in the center of the ring and whispered in my ear.

"It's your time now, Johnny. Make it count."

And I would. I would be the best fucking WWE champion on this side of the Mason-Dixon line. I got back towards the locker room area, and saw my friends clapping for me. It was still a sight to see, knowing my friends respected me enough to stand here, cheering for me. Recently retired Mark Callaway and his wife, Alison stood there. I was shocked seeing Ali, because she had recently bought TNA Wrestling and was weeding WWE talent left and right, and was public enemy number 1 around here, no matter if she was Shane and Stephanie's sister. Ali grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. I'm no slouch at six-one, but Ali, at almost six-seven made me feel like a dwarf.

"You sure you don't wanna defect?"

"No, I'm good."

"Well, then congratulations sweetie, you deserve it!"

She said, letting me go. I shook Mark's hand and moved on. My former tag team partner, and newest Straight Edge Society member, Adam Birch, also known as Joey Mercury was there. He was always up the ass of Phil Brooks you never knew where Adam ended and Phil began. We embraced quickly and then I moved on to Stephanie McMahon and her husband Paul Levesque.

"Damn Hennigan," Paul said, shaking my hand. "I didn't know if anyone could defeat Super Cena, but you did it."

He said in a very disgruntled manner. Someone obviously had a jealousy issue, and I wasn't going to goad him. Not tonight. He'd be coming after me soon enough, and I didn't want it to be personal and professional. Stephanie elbowed him in the ribs, hard and hugged me warmly. Only a select few people got Stephanie McMahon hugs, so I consider myself lucky. And then, standing off to the side all by himself, looking dopey carrying around the Million Dollar Belt was Ted DiBiase, Jr. Behind him was his now ex-fiancee and walking train wreck Dr. Traci Hodges. A world renowned psycho-analyst for the New York Times. He saw me walk towards him, and angled himself between her and I. It had come to blows a few times between Traci and I. The scar on my chin…yeah, that was Traci. I'm man enough to admit it.

"John."

"Ted."

"Great job against Cena, man."

He said, extending his hand. I shook it casually and smiled. Ted and I came up through OVW together, and that friendship just stayed with us. We were on separate shows, but we made sure our friendship withstood everything.

"Thanks Teddy man. Means a lot."

"We still on for drinks later?"

"Totally. Let me shower and change, and we'll meet up."

"Will do. Be careful though, Traci's wandering around."

"10-4 Captain."

I said, clapping his shoulder. I continued on my journey towards my locker room. The last three years have been a journey let me tell you. First, breaking up with Melina then getting in touch with who the real John Hennigan was. I'd been Morrison for so long, that I'd lost touch with who the real John Randall Hennigan was. It was then I discovered that for the last 31 years, I've been in the closet. I opened the door and sighed. Home sweet home. I put aside the belt and grabbed my clothes for tonight. Tight black jeans and a tighter black t-shirt. It was standard for me, and more importantly, I felt comfortable in them. I was going cruising for chicks with Ted tonight…or so he thought. I wasn't taking any of them home. Not when the person I wanted to take home was my companion tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

After I showered and changed, I headed down to Ted's locker room and knocked on the door. I waited for a few moments but heard nothing, which was unusual for Ted. He was always very prompt. I poked my head into the locker room and noticed that he was passed out cold on the floor. There wasn't a bottle present, which was good, because I'd have beat the shit out of him for getting drunk before we went out to get drunk. I ran in and knelt down beside him. I checked for a pulse. He was alive, thankfully, but it was a weak pulse. I shook him slightly, to see if he'd wake up.

"Ted? Teddy man, are you alive?"

Suddenly, his eyes opened, and he looked at me. Those amazing brown eyes took me in with a look of confusion at first, then recognition. He seemed to register that he was sitting on the floor, but he didn't know how he got there, I don't think.

"Hennigan?"

I breathed a sigh of relief. He struggled to sit up, and I helped him. I stroked his face softly, and he leaned his chin into my palm. It was amazing to see just how my hand fit on the contours of his face. I didn't move my hand, and it didn't seem like he was in a hurry for me to move it, so I didn't.

"What happened?"

"I don't know. All I know is that I was here gathering my stuff to go out with you, and I was attacked from behind."

I wanted to punch something. Someone put an unprovoked attack out on Teddy, and I was going to find out who it was, and why they did it. I helped him stand up, and I got a whiff of him. He smelled amazing. I think it was a combination of cotton candy and Axe Chocolate. I wanted to eat him up at that point, no matter how hungry I was.

"Alright dude, think you can stand up?"

I asked him, trying not to let his cotton candy/Axe Chocolate smell hit me as hard as it was. I moved my hand from his face and held on to his waist as I helped him up. I was trying to hide the strain in my jeans and watched as he sat on the bench. I knew that he'd see it, and probably be disgusted with me, but I had to turn away. And so I did.

"You okay man?"

Ted asked me. I nodded quickly then turned away from him. I didn't know what to do. Or say. He asked me if I was okay. What was I supposed to say? 'Dude, your scent gave me a massive boner?' I couldn't tell him that. He'd get freaked and run away. So, I just nodded. I composed myself for thirty seconds enough to ask him about going out.

"You feel good enough to go out or do you just want a ride back to the hotel?"

"Can we call it a night dude? I just don't feel up to it."

"That's cool. I'll drive you back."

And I turned to face him. And that's when he saw it. The strain in my jeans that hadn't yet subsided. I watched his face go from humor to surprise, to disgust, to anger, to humor again. He was at eye level with me, and I forced a smile.

"Dude, you have wood."

"Yeah, no shit man. Thanks for noticing."

"Did I cause that?"

Did he cause that? Of course he fucking well caused it. Who else in the room with us? The magical boner fairies? Is Kristen Stewart in the room with us? Not that I've ever seen the Twilight saga, but damn, that bitch was hot.

"Do you see Kristen Stewart in the room?"

"Who?"

"Never mind, Ted. Don't worry about my boner dude, just go get your shit and take it to my car. I'll have Ali Callaway drive yours back to the hotel."

I needed him to get out of the locker room so I could think clearly. Technically, yes it was Ted's locker room but the sooner he was out of the room, the sooner I could think clearer. I watched as he walked out, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Ted was gone, thankfully, and it was so much easier to think.

"Ease up Johnny, it's just a boner. It's not that big of a fucking deal. It is a big deal! I got a fucking boner in front of the man of my dreams! The guy that I wanted to do…well everything with! Okay, breathe…breathe Hennigan, just breathe. It's fine. It's no big deal. Just go out there, face him, and get over it."

I said, just as I opened the door. But when I opened the door, I saw Ted leaning there. He'd just heard everything I'd ever said. I blushed about twenty shades of crimson and put my head down. I was going to try and shove past him, when he stopped me.

"No way, Hennigan. It's high time you and me had a good ol' fashioned talkin' to."

He said, shoving me back into the locker room. I knew at this point, he was going to ream me for my feelings…and I didn't know if I was ready.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3- **Present day**

I have to switch gears for a moment. People always assumed that I was happy in my life. And yeah, for the longest time, I was. I just wasn't complete. It was hard for me to be happy when I wasn't sure who I was. How could I be happy when I wasn't completely honest? It took everything I had to hide what I was thinking. And knowing that I was still in the closet, scared me. But I came to terms with my sexuality and came back to work a few weeks later. And then Ted happened. I don't think it was as sudden as it had appeared to be. I think the reason why our relationship happened so fast, was because we were already so attuned to each other. We knew that what was happening had gone against nature in WWE, because everyone was hooking up with everyone else, and any male relationships with other males were closeted there. But Ted and I, man, Teddy and I want to make it work…okay, back on to the story!

**Six months still….**

"How long were you out there?"

I asked him, knowing he'd probably heard every fucking thing I'd just said. I watched as he'd shoved his way back into the locker room, and dropped his stuff on the floor. He just stared at me for a moment, and I comprehended the look on his face.

"Long enough to hear what you said. John, you know that's wrong, right?"

Wrong? Was I going to be running out of this locker room in tears, or was I going to be making a point to him. It felt like I'd be running. I sat down on the bench and stuck my head in my hands. What was I going to do. I remained silent for a few seconds and then shook my head and looked at the floor, before I spoke.

"Wrong? Ted, don't you think I _know_ that? In all my thirty-one years, do you honestly think I wanted to be gay? Well, if not gay, then bisexual, I want to just be happy! And if I'm happier with men, fine. But Teddy, it's not wrong. I'm not asking you to give me a shot…I'm asking you to just see my side."

"See your side? John, I've been where you're at."

"You've been where I'm at?"

"Yes. Living a lie. Pretending to be someone I'm not. I'm the exact same person I've always been. Minus the fact that I too, am a bisexual."

I couldn't help myself. I had to know what he was thinking. I reached out and stroked his face with my thumb softly. I didn't know what to say. I couldn't. The moment was too real. It was too sensitive to be real. Teddy reached up to stroke my hand softly and I sighed.

"You said I was the guy you wanted to be with."

"I did."

"Then be with me."

I was shocked. I couldn't tell if he was real. The look in his eyes says he is one hundred percent serious. I nodded at him and smiled softly as his hand left mine, and went to stroke my face. Before anything else could happen, a weak knock came to the door. Ted dropped his hand, as I did mine, and he went to answer the door. No surprise who was standing behind it. Eve Torres. Ted's sometime girlfriend, and current on-screen flame was there.

"Hey sexy."

She said, shoving her way into the room. Eve was sexy in every way, sure, but she wasn't what Ted wanted. I made my way to the bench that was there, and waited. I wondered how long it would take Eve to notice I was here, and that Ted was completely distracted. I watched her try and kiss him, but he pulled away from her as she did.

"Not now Eve."

"Come on, Teddy you promised."

"Damn it Eve, I said not now. And you know what, you were a mistake. This whole thing is a mistake. I'm headed out with John tonight, so just scram."

Eve was pissed, but she looked up at me and scowled. It took her a whole forty five seconds to realize I was here. But when she looked up at me, she grinned. She was going to try and play the same game with me that she did with Teddy.

"Hello gorgeous."

"Goodbye slutty."

She looked taken aback. She put her hands on her hips and pouted. She looked at Ted and scowled like she couldn't believe that he'd just let that happen. I laughed, because men don't giggle, and I watched her stand there.

"Are you gonna let him talk to me that way, Ted?"

"Sure. Why not. Now, take a hike, Eve. Go find Randy Orton, maybe you can get his rocks off tonight."

And with that, he led her out the door of the locker room. He came back and locked the door, knowing now that no interruptions were eminent. He sat down on the floor in front of me, putting his hands on my shins, and stroking them softly.

"So, what do you say. Will you, John Hennigan, give me a shot?"

I nodded. I couldn't fight it. It was too real to fight. Too real. And now, I was getting my happy ending…or was I? I pulled Teddy up off the floor and grabbed the championship belt.

"Come on DiBiase, you couldn't keep up with me."

"Alright….just remember one thing. This is our first date…and I'm buying."

That sounded so nice. He was buying. Made me a happy Hennigan, I'll tell you. Our first date did not go as we'd expected it to.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ted's POV

It's a little much for John at this point to continue. He's still not 100 percent from the accident, and won't be for awhile. But, I'm gonna take over for a little bit to explain the whole first date thing, and what happened. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy to be us that night, what with half the roster being at the same bar…but here, let me show you.

**At the bar…**

"What are you boys having?"

Cena asked John and I. I knew this celebration was eminent, because John was the WWE Champion. I didn't exactly want to drink on this night, but knew that something was going to be happening. Paul and Stephanie were announcing tonight that she was pregnant with what seemed like their four hundredth kid. In all actuality it was their fourth, what with Aurora, Murphy and Benedict all being under five. It's crazy. Stephanie spends more time having sex with her husband, than running the creative team, but hey, to each his own I guess.

"I'll have a Coors. Johnny?"

"Uhm, give me a Bud. I'm not having much tonight."

"You're the world champion dude, you've got the right to celebrate!"

John rolled his eyes at Cena. He also knew that we had an early flight in the morning and wasn't in the mood for a drinking binge today. That would come later on in the week, when we didn't have to be awake. But for some reason, Cena just loved to drink. We took our beers and headed for an out of the way table. We were in our own little world when the fight broke out.

"You dirty fucking whore!"

"I'm sorry, Paul! What did you want me to say? That the baby was yours?"

John and I watched in horror as Stephanie went flying across the bar. She cried out, then the subsequent father of the baby that she was carrying, one Jay Reso came forward.

"Holy shit. Who'd sleep with Jay?"

John asked. I chuckled and took a sip of my beer and then watched as Jay punched Paul in the face. I dropped my jaw. In all the years I'd known Paul Levesque, he'd never let anyone land the first punch, NEVER. And suddenly this guy who's no bigger than the shoelace on my boots, did. John and I watched in horror as Paul and Jay started whaling on each other, with Stephanie in the way. Nobody was stopping to help her. So, I looked at Johnny and smiled.

"We've got to get Steph out of there, Johnny. But how do we go about it without making Paul or Jay hit us?"

John looked at me and grinned. Then he stood up and walked over to Stephanie and extended his hand. Everything was going really well too. He was helping her up and getting ready to lead her to our table, when suddenly, he was pushed from behind by Randy Orton. He shoved Stephanie towards the table and started whaling on John for no reason. I got Stephanie safely to the table and looked at her.

"You okay?"

Stephanie nodded and I got up from the table and tackled Randy. It had turned into an all out bar fight with half the WWE Raw roster. Paul Levesque and Jay Reso were going at it, with Randy and John. Me and Cody Runnels, who lets face it, I could snap Cody like a twig, I was a little bit bigger. Paul Wight and Mike Mizanin who nobody can stand, anyway were double teaming Cena. Which was fine, because Cena'd been doing whiskey shots anyway, so he didn't really have a leg to stand on. A few minutes later, the police were breaking up the fight. Stephanie sat at the table crying as she'd pressed assault charges on Paul and Jay. She told the cops that we were trying to help her and they asked us if we wanted to press charges on our attackers, but we declined. We just wanted to get Stephanie home. That would've been all well and good, had Johnny not passed out.

**John's POV**

Thank you, Teddy for taking over. I can handle it from here. And by the way, I didn't _pass _out, I was knocked out. That Runnels kid has a hell of a punch. Anyway, we'd gone to the hospital, and I got checked out. There was no permanent damage on the beautiful face. So, we got Stephanie out, and we got her checked out to make sure that there was no baby-killing or some wacky shit, and then we hightailed it back to the hotel.

"That was an eventful first date, hmm Teddy?"

"I think so. It was nice though. Thank you, so much for accompanying me out tonight."

"I'm honored that you asked me to go with you. So, what's the rooming situation like?"

"My roommate," Ted said, sighing. It was a woman. I knew that. We were subconsciously holding hands now, and we didn't even realize it. I hadn't even heard the door open, but when it did, we were busted. For standing in the doorway, was Eve. I suddenly got mad. Because it was like, she was trying to sabotage us, and we were just starting out. I shook my head, pulled away from Teddy and stalked down to my hotel room. I looked at him before I stepped in and sighed.

"Call me when you're ready to give a shit."

And I walked in and slammed my door. I felt like I was losing him before I got him. And that wasn't a good thing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ted's POV

That was hard for me. Seeing the look on his face. Knowing that he thought I'd hurt him. It was the hardest thing for me, to walk into that hotel room with Eve. Eve could never take no for an answer. I walked into the room and sighed, closing the door. Eve had the whole seduction thing down pat. Candles, flowers, and skimpy lingerie.

"Hey Teddy…I figured now was a good a time as any."

"Eve, Jesus Christ, don't you ever leave people alone."

"I came to get what I want. And, I saw your love fest with John outside. What's that about. When are you two friends?"

I suddenly got defensive. So, I did the one thing I could do. I picked up the flowers, blew out the candles, opened the hotel door and threw them out into the hallway. Then I looked at Eve, and with the most ice in my voice I could muster, I just was very vicious to her.

"I am about 30 seconds from pulling your hair and throwing you the fuck out. Now, you can do one of three things. One, you can leave of your own free will, and nobody will be any wiser. Two, I can throw you out by the back of your head. Or three, I can call rape, and have you escorted out of here."

Eve looked surprised. I'd do it too, and that's what freaked her out. I watched her as she gathered her stuff up and walked out. Now, I had something to fix. I threw open the door and headed down the hallway. I walked to the door, and knocked, knowing he was in there. His roommate was down in the bar, we'd passed him when we were coming up. I waited as he came to the door. It opened and there he stood in a bath towel.

"Johnny….can we talk?"

"Sure…come in Teddy."

I walked into the hotel room and noticed that it was a mess. Well, one side was a mess, the other side was immaculate. I knew which side belonged to John and which side belonged to Jake Hager, known as Jack Swagger.

"Wow…Swagger's a mess."

"Yeah, well tell me about it. What's wrong? Eve not good enough for you?"

"No, she isn't the right sex for me. Johnny, you've got to realize that when Eve wants something bad enough, she goes after it. Including me. I don't want Eve. I don't want Eve, Maryse, Mickie, Alyssa Milano or Megan Fox. I want you. You Johnny Hennigan. Always and forever."

John looked at me and sighed. He was wavering, and I knew it. He reached out to me, and he stroked my face. His fingers were always so warm and loving. I kissed the pads of his fingers softly, and listened as he made a contented sigh. He stroked my arm softly, and his touches just got more sweeter and sweeter. I know that it was hard for him to just let it all go, but he did. We started kissing, and kissing him was like seeing fireworks. It was the most glorious thing in the world. And I couldn't believe I was the lucky bastard who got to. Just as we started, the towel fell down, and it just went from there. Next thing I knew I was out of my pants and shirt and in a pair of Spiderman boxers. John saw them and laughed.

"Spiderman? Really?"

"What, it's my last clean pair. I don't know how to do laundry."

"Ted?"

"Yes."

"Shut up and kiss me."

"Okay."

I said, smiling. It was good. I was so in love with this man, and I knew it. I always had been, but had this niggling feeling that he didn't feel the same as I did. We were going to be in a whole bunch of ugly, coming from an never ending parade of stupid. I can't take credit for that line, that was Queen Latifah's in Hairspray, but it still worked. Little did I know, just what an impact it would have on Johnny's title run, when we finally came out as a couple.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**John's POV**

Teddy's an amazing storyteller. I don't know if I remember it quite that way, but yeah, if he says so. It happened that way. So, we were blissful, Teddy and I. We were traveling together, staying in hotels discreetly together. Rumors were flying around backstage about all of the rumors, but we didn't much pay attention. Until the day that Stephanie McMahon came to me. I was at the gym, on the treadmill, when my cell phone rang. I don't know what made me answer it, but when Stephanie calls, you answer.

"Stephanie."

"Hey John. Are you available for a meeting with me and Shane in an hour?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Good. Some things came up, and we need to discuss them. Meet in the conference room just inside the arena."

And she hung up. I remember thinking that was weird, but if Stephanie needed to talk to me, then dammit, I'd go. I stopped running, toweled off and headed for the shower. It was going to take at least a half an hour for me to get from the gym to the arena. I'd noticed I'd had another voice message too, so as I stepped into the locker room at the gym, I'd checked the voice mail and heard I had four messages. They were all from Ted.

"Hey sweetie, it's me. Uh, we might have a slight problem. Call me."

"Baby, it's me. We definitely have a problem. It isn't good. Call me."

"Johnny….it's me. Seriously, serious problem. Call me."

"Damn it John, if you don't call me back in a half hour, I'm gonna drag your ass out of the gym."

And I hung up. He hardly left messages for me, but when he did they were important. He was known for jumping the gun a little bit when it came to dragging my ass out of anywhere. So I figured I'd call him back, just so he didn't drive all the way here, and all the way back.

"Hello?"

"Babe?"

"Johnny, shit. We've got trouble."

"What kind of trouble?"

"Rumor's got it, Eve spread a nasty rumor about us. Now, it's gone to corporate, and Linda and Vince sent Shane and Stephanie-"

"To have a meeting?"

"Yeah. How did you know?"

"Stephanie called me. Told me that she and Shane wanted to have a meeting with me in an hour."

"Me too. I'm scared."

"Me too. Alright, I'm leaving the gym now, so I should be there in a little while. Teddy, whatever happens, we're getting through it together."

"Agreed. Miss you."

"Miss you more, I'll see you soon."

I said, hanging up the phone. I didn't know if we were screwed or not, and quite frankly, I didn't want to know. But if they made me choose between my career and Teddy, hands down, I'd pick Teddy. Alison was always readily available to me, in TNA if I needed her. I drove back to the arena after a quick shower and saw Teddy waiting for me. He took my hands and we walked into the conference room together. Of course, Shane and Stephanie were shocked. We didn't have to speak, the words were there between us.

"Thank you for joining us. Obviously the rumors are true."

I held up my hand. I knew what was going to go on. They were going to issue ultimatums, and I was curious to see which way Ted was going to go, but I'd already known which way I was going.

"Shane, Stephanie. My name is John Randall Hennigan, and I am in a committed relationship with a man. That man, is the man to my left, Ted DiBiase, Jr. Now, I know what you're going to say. You're going to tell me that WWE does not condone such behavior amongst their superstars, and you want us to break up. Fuck that. Fuck that homophobic shit, and fuck you. I swear, I've got Ali on speed-dial."

Stephanie looked shocked. Shane looked bored, and Teddy was scared out of his mind. I'm sure that claiming I had Ali on speed dial didn't make Teddy feel any better. But, hey I had to do what I needed to. I'd explain that to Ted later, and beg for his forgiveness. I knew he was angry. I could see the vein in his cheek popping out.

"Okay John, since you're obviously going to continue pursuing this relationship, then I've got to do what I've got to do. John Hennigan, also known as John Morrison, you have officially been stripped of the World Wrestling Entertainment Championship for behavior unbecoming of a WWE Superstar. Leave the belt on the table, and this meeting goes no further. Please, do not flaunt your relationship in public. There are people watching."

People, she meant fans. I know she did. Just before I could put the belt on the table, Teddy stepped forward. Damned if that move didn't just shock me. I watched him silently, unaware of what he was going to say.

"Shane, Stephanie. He's been the best World Wrestling Entertainment Champion in the history of this company. Fans love him, the ratings have been high for the last several weeks, and now an unforeseen circumstance made him lose the belt? Bullshit. The fans won't buy it. Every fan out there knows that John's sexuality has been called into question. Now, he won't go onto TV and declare his love for me, but is it really a big fucking secret. You guys did the same things with Chris Kanyon, and I'll be damned if you push him out, the way you did with Kanyon. You saw how things ended up for him. Come on Johnny, let's get out of here."

That was the most passionate speech I'd ever heard Teddy make. And quite frankly, I was turned on by it. I laid the title belt on the table, and flipped it off. I knew I was going to catch all kinds of hell for that, but I'd made the sacrifice. I chose him over my career. I was just afraid that he was going to catch all of the unnecessary flak over it. And that's what scared me more, was Teddy being unhappy.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**John and Teddy's POV's**

I wanted to bring Teddy in on this chapter, because he can tell what he was feeling a lot better than I could. You'll know when it's Teddy and when it's me, because I'm more articulate, where Teddy's not. So, that disastrous meeting was just that, a disaster. Stephanie and Shane were playing what Teddy called the Kanyon card, and as we walked down the hallway towards the locker room, we discussed that.

"That is bullshit Johnny, complete bullshit! They can't do that. That is technically sexual discrimination!"

"I know Teddy, I know. But we're independent contractors to them, remember? We have no rights. They're our puppet masters. We do what they want, not what we want."

I had Ted with that one. He knew that too, but he sometimes forgot that. He's silly like that. We walked into the locker room we now shared, and I sat in the recliner that he'd brought with him. It was the ugliest recliner ever, because it was brown and it was a crushed velvet type thing. It was ugly, but comfy. He sat on my lap, pushing my hair out of my face.

"I'm sorry about losing the WWE title."

"Teddy, I could give a fuck about the WWE title. What I want is for us to be happy. You and me. The way it should be."

Just as he said that, the cue for Raw went on. This whole being on separate shows thing sucked hard, but we did it for the love of our professions. Sure, we saw each other three days a week, but him traveling to me and me traveling to him was making us tired. We just wanted to spend time together. We watched the monitor, just as we always did. And it shocked me that Stephanie was in the middle of the ring.

"Oh no…"

I said. Ted was busy, making the circuitous route from my temple to my neck. He was doing that tongue thing that I liked….just feeling it now gave me shivers. He stopped mid throat, and as much as that sucked, he looked at my face.

"What?"

"Stephanie's on TV, Ted. That can't be good."

Ted turned up the volume on the TV, just as Stephanie's squeaky, high-pitched boss's voice came through.

"WWE fans. Tonight, something momentous is happening…that's right. John Morrison puts his WWE title on the line against John Cena, Randy Orton and the son of the Million Dollar Man, Ted DiBiase, Jr. in a fatal four way match. There are no disqualifications, no count outs, nothing. Just four men fighting for one thing…."

I looked at Ted. Ted looked at me. We didn't know this was happening. It was supposed to be Randy and Teddy tonight and John and I tonight, but the shit was hitting the fan, and fast. This is the part where I turn it over to Teddy, because I want you guys (and gals) to know what he was thinking when Stephanie announced it. Teddy.

**Teddy's POV**

That guy can talk forever, can't he? Jeez Johnny, I was popping popcorn just to kill the boredom. Anyway, when Stephanie made the announcement, it was like a knife was going through my chest. How could she put me in this position without consulting me? I knew it was personal. It had to be. She had this vendetta against Johnny and I for being openly out together. You know what, fuck her. She didn't know shit about our relationship. I shook my head angrily and stood up.

"Can she fucking do that?"

"She's the head of creative, she can do anything she very well fucking wants. What a great way to stick it to me."

"She's trying to throw a wrench in between us, Johnny!"

"No wrenches. We won't let her. We go out there, wrestle our asses off, then go home to Riggs."

Riggs was my dog. He made me smile. Moreso than Johnny sometimes, but hey, Riggs came first. Just don't tell John that. He's got jealousy issues with the dog. He says that Riggs gets more of the bed than he does. Annnnyway, moving on as I dodge a nerf ball to the nutsack. I hugged Johnny and went to my bag to get my gear.

"My neighbor sent me a picture of the dog. He's sleeping on the foot of the bed again. We've got to break him of that habit before we leave again. Johnny, are you listening?"

"Somewhat. I'm planning."

Just then, a knock came on the door. I opened it and it was the Billion Dollar Princess herself. I rolled my eyes and bowed at her presence, in a mocking sort of way. Hell, I was the son of the Million Dollar Man. Stephanie looked at me and then looked at John and shook her head.

"What were you two doing in here?"

"Damn Steph, you just missed it. I made John come, twice. Such a shame, really. It's horrible."

"DiBiase, you are disgusting. You and John are up next."

"Yes Princess Stephanie."

"Fuck you DiBiase."

I rolled my eyes again. Stephanie was just egging me on, and it was so much fun. And the best thing was, John wasn't stopping me. I guess because he was in the same mood I was.

"You're not my type, Princess…I'm dudes only. But I'll be glad to find Jay Reso for you…he'll fuck you."

"Keep it up, and a suspension's in your future."

That was when John stepped in. As much fun as it was to torment Stephanie, we had serious business to attend to. He stepped in between us and turned to me, motioning for me to hit the showers. I nodded, did what he asked, and hit the showers. And this is where John takes over again.

**John's POV…again**

So, I heard that comment about Riggs you bastard…and about the popcorn! Kidding, I love you. Anyway, focusing. Stephanie was setting me up for failure. I knew she was. By now, I had the Morrison jeans on, bright yellow and tight to be exact. And she was standing there. She was eyeing me, and it was creepy.

"What?"

"I'm doing this for your own good, John."

"My own good? My own good? Stephanie, what's good for me, is that man in the showers. He's what's good for me. My life with Ted is what's important to me. Just remember this when you have lost two high profile superstars! I'm not going to tolerate this, Stephanie. Teddy and I are a packaged deal. Quit trying to sabotage it. You're doing this because I wouldn't sleep with you. Not unless I want a sexually transmitted disease…so. Here's the deal. What's the reason?"

"The reason is Vince is disgusted. He made an example of Chris Kanyon-"

"He made a fucking embarrassment of Kanyon, and I'm sure Pat Patterson too. But you know what, I will NOT be made an embarrassment of. I'll take my punishment when I've done something wrong. Ted and I will wrestle this match, but then we're going home."

And with that, I showed Stephanie the door. I watched her walk out, feeling exceptionally well about what had just happened. The next couple of months though, would be harder…especially when I found out who Teddy's attacker was…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

**John's POV**

The next couple of months were good. They weren't great, they were good. I had been pushed back to midcard status, and Ted…well it seemed like Ted had it all. He was doing great on Raw. I was kinda floundering over on Smackdown. We never saw each other, which didn't bode well for our relationship either. I had just come back from a particularly grueling match against Paul Wight when I entered my locker room. It was trashed. I shook my head. I went to clean it up, when I noticed my cell phone. It was flashing like a call was coming through, but instead it was showing my text messages. One was from my mom. I'd forgotten to call her, and now she was bugging me. One from Tori Crawford, also known as Alicia Fox. She was showing me pictures of her new engagement ring from Matt Cardona. Who'd have thought Zack Ryder was straight. It was a great ring for her, and I told her that. I had a message from Ted. I smiled when I opened it. It was a picture of him and the dog sitting on the front porch.

"_Babe,_

_We miss you. Please, hurry home soon. We've got popcorn! And movies…and oh hell. The bed's empty without you. _

_Love you,_

_Teddy and Riggs."_

It was the cutest picture, and quite frankly, I wanted to be part of that. I wanted to just leave. And I would. I was getting on a plane as soon as I could to be with those two silly guys. Just as I was about to close the screen another message came through. It was an unfamiliar number to me, but I opened the text anyway. I read it and chills went down my spine.

"_Be careful what you wish for. It may not come true. I am Ted's attacker. I shall reveal myself to you at the end of Smackdown tonight. This is no joke."_

I'd been looking for Ted's attacker since it happened. Everyone I'd talked to said that they hadn't seen anything. And now the attacker was going to reveal himself to me. I had an ass to kick for that beating two months ago. I dialed Ted's phone number, because I needed to hear his voice.

"Hello?"

"Hey gorgeous."

"Hello beautiful. Riggs, shut up!"

He yelled at the dog. I could hear it in his voice. He was exhausted. There wasn't one thing wrong with him, but exhaustion. We'd been doing all these shows for awhile now, that it was starting to take a toll on him. Poor guy. This was going to worry him further, I just knew it.

"Dog barking again?"

"Your cat is antagonizing him."

"Hey! Hey! Palace does not antagonize Riggs! Anyway, I just got a weird text message."

"I know! Matt and Tori are getting married! How weird is that?"

"I know, but not that. Honey, I just got a text from someone identifying themselves as your attacker. I'm to meet them at the end of the show tonight."

I could hear the silence on the other end of the phone. I knew he was trying not to yell. He didn't want to wind up the dog again. I waited, knowing something weird was happening.

"Are you going alone?"

"I'd planned on it."

"Don't. I'll call Cody. He's in town with Dusty, and I think if anything goes wrong, he can have your back."

I shook my head. I didn't want to throw anyone else into the line of fire, but I couldn't help it. I couldn't. I wouldn't do it. But, I also knew that Ted was a worry wart and that he'd worry if I didn't accept Cody's help. But, just as I was about to comment to him that I didn't need Cody's help, the door to the locker room stood there and I about fell over.

"Teddy. Your attacker's here. I have to go. If anything happens. Remember how much I loved you."

I said, disconnecting the line. I knew he'd be worried, but I needed to confront the man standing in front of me. The man I'd considered a friend for so many years, a confidante in many ways.

"Hello John. Surprised to see me?"

The deep voice said. I shook my head in disbelief. The man standing in front of me was vocal in keeping Teddy and I together. He'd helped us out when nobody else would. He believed in true love. Or so he said, and now, he's standing in front of me, laying claim to being Teddy's attacker.

"I am. Are you…Teddy's attacker?"

"Yes. But DiBiase got what was coming to him. He took one thing away from me. The single thing I wanted in this world. Eve. He snatched Eve from me, and now, I'm going to take the one thing that means the world to him. You."

"What?"

"For three months I've waited. Waited until you two weren't together to make my move. It's no secret you two are a couple. Hell, I've been your biggest supporter. But now the time has come. It's time for me to own up to it. I've only supported you, to tear you apart."

I couldn't help but stare at him. He shocked me. He suddenly reached out and pulled me by my hair. He drug me out into the hallway and I remember trying to fight back. But there was no use. I was being led down to an empty part of the arena. Nobody could hear us here. It would be easy for him to finish me off here, but I wouldn't let him. No, not now. Not here. I had to fight this battle for Teddy. And damn it, I wouldn't let him down.

"Please, let me go."

"No. I will not."

Suddenly, he let go of my hair. Next thing I know, I hit a roundhouse kick to his head. I watched as he went down to the cement ground, and I stood there looking down at him. He was no longer an ally.

"Never, EVER harm another hair on his head, Shawn."

I said, watching a bleeding Shawn Hickenbottom moan loudly. It was well documented the affair he'd been having with half the roster. Men included, but Eve was the one that mattered most to him. I kicked him once in the ribs for good measure, and walked away from him. I had to call Ted. He'd be interested in this. But just as I dialed the last number, I was jumped from behind. My cell phone fell to the floor and I turned to see Randy Orton staring at me.

"It was never Shawn. It was me…DiBiase didn't pay. So you will."

He said and the last thing I remember was hearing Teddy's voice on the phone. It was so frantic and scared.

"John…..Johnny, answer me honey….oh god."

And then I saw black.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

**Ted's POV**

"Fuck you, Cody! If you don't fucking go to that arena and check on John, I'll make sure I burn your Metallica collection. And, don't think I won't do it!"

Those were the words I yelled into the phone. I know Cody probably thought I was a basket case, and I probably was, but when it came to John and my attacker, I was paranoid. Worst case scenario, John was tied up somewhere, without any help. Best case scenario, one of our friends came to help. Yeah, that would be the day. None of these fucking pricks would help us out.

"Dude, I can't leave my dad! I would totally help you out. And I swear to god, if my Metallica collection is harmed in any way, I promise on my girlfriend's life, that your existence on this earth will be null and void."

"What do I do?"

I asked, my voice cracking. I was legitimately scared. John's a tough guy, he doesn't need protecting, but I should've been there. Instead, I came here for a couple days of R&R before I met up with him, and now I'm kicking myself for it. I couldn't handle him not being okay. I just couldn't. Cody could tell I was scared to death too.

"Here, how about I call one of the stage hands that I know that works at the arena and see if they saw John. Or saw him getting attacked. No worries dude, I'm sure he's okay."

I'd take it. Cody had superstar friends, but he was too busy to call them. I understood that. The Runnels family had some weird family shit going, and good for them I guess. But I had no time for family time. I had to find a way to get to that arena. If my attacker was there, then I would confront him head on. I was just about to start packing a suitcase when the house phone rang. The only people who called on the house phone were my parents. And Johnny when he couldn't get me on my cell. I ran into the kitchen and got the cordless phone.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ted."

Randy Orton. Why was he calling me? And how the hell did he get this number. I didn't know. I didn't care. Maybe he'd seen John somewhere, grabbed his cell and looked up my number. I needed some reassurance, and maybe Randy could give me that.

"Randy. Hi. How are you?"

"Good, good. How are you?"

"I am a wreck. You haven't seen John around have you?"

"Yeah…yeah I have. That's why I'm calling. I have your pretty boyfriend."

By this time I was shaking so bad I didn't know if I'd heard Randy correctly. I thought he'd told me that he'd had Johnny, but I wasn't sure. I sat there pondering that for a moment, then decided it was time.

"You have Johnny…you're my attacker?"

"Surprise. You take from me, I take from you. You took Eve from me, I take John from you. It worked out so well though, because I had Shawn all worked out. He was going to be my set up man. Ambush John, and then BAM! I'd surprise him. I think it worked wonders. I've got your pretty boy. Now where's Eve?"

"This is about Eve? God Randy, I don't know. I haven't seen Eve in almost three months. I have no idea. Please Randy, please, let Johnny go."

"No way Teddy, I'm not giving in that easily. You do what I want you to do, then maybe, just maybe I'll consider letting your pretty boy go."

"What do I have to do?"

I grabbed a pen and a piece of paper from the tablet that John kept by the phone for messages. He was very adamant about that, and now I knew why. Thank god for Johnny having this message pad here.

"It's quite simple really. You take pretty boy here, and go live happily ever after somewhere else. I don't want it here. And as the leader of the locker room, what I say goes."

I was so scared, I snorted. I actually snorted. It was better than laughing. I was too terrified to laugh. Randy Orton, locker room leader? Since when? Did Paul Levesque die suddenly and I didn't know about it?

"Locker room leader, eh? Well if you're the locker room leader, then I'm Kelly Kelly in a pantsuit. Randy, you take yourself way too seriously….lighten up, calm down, take a chill pill. And go fuck yourself. And by the way. I'm coming for my man."

I said, hanging up the phone. I heard a knock on the door of the house. I walked to the door to answer it and saw Cody standing on the other side. I breathed a sigh of relief, and unlocked it. I opened it up and let him in.

"Dude, my guy didn't see anything."

"That's fine. How fast can you get me to the airport?"

"Well, seeing you live about fifteen minutes away, I can get you there in ten. Why?"

"Randy Orton has Johnny. I'm going to get him."

"Okay. Good. Dude, I'm sorry. Let's go get him."

And I knew Cody was good. Cody was pure as the driven snow. Okay, that's not entirely true. I saw Cody go down on a waitress at a bar once, when he'd drank too much…so, not entirely. But I knew he'd help me in my mission to get Johnny back. And that was the day I'd decided to make the biggest life changing decision of my life. I wasn't going to let Randy win. Or the critics. It's our life. After I went to rescue Johnny, there was one more stop to make…Clinton, Mississippi. I was going home.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**Ted's POV**

Alright, so thanks to Cody the speed demon, I got to the airport with moments to spare. I needed the quickest flight to Chicago, Illinois as fast as I could've gotten there. Luckily for me, Cody and I got the last flight out. I sat next to him, and he patted my knee softly. In a strictly little brother sort of way, of course. I didn't think of Cody that way.

"Codes, thanks a bunch man. I'm so freaked."

"I know dude. If Gail was in this situation, I'd be just as scared as you. Trust me, we're gonna get John back."

Cody was relaxing me. I knew it. He was trying to take my mind off of things. I had to give him credit though, at least he was trying. I couldn't wrap my mind around Johnny being kidnapped by Randy, and in order to keep from panicking, I asked Cody different questions.

"What drew you to Gail?"

"Her warmth. Her kindness, her spirit, her inability to say no…and her heart. Same question to you. What drew you to John?"

I didn't need to think about it. There were four things that drew me to him. And I wouldn't hesitate to tell him. The flight attendant came over and asked us if we needed anything. I told her no, and watched her walk away, then proceeded to tell Cody.

"The things that drew me to Johnny were his smile. He has that cocky grin, but it's sexy. That's his signature smile. His happy smile, his nervous smile, his sad smile. That's his smile. His sex appeal. He's a sexy man, Cody. It's not that hard to see. I go to bed every night thinking that I'm the lucky fucker that gets to see that in sweatpants and no shirt. Me. The fact that he's a good listener. I could be having the shittiest day ever, and he'll come over to me, put his arm around me, sit in my lap and say 'want to talk about it, love?' Like whatever problem he was having didn't matter, and all he cared about was making sure I was okay. And then there's those eyes…those gorgeous eyes. It's like staring into a big bar of chocolate."

Cody looked at me. I shrugged, blushed a little bit and looked over at Cody. He was laughing. I punched him in his arm softly and wondered what he was laughing about. He shook his head, and then turned back to me.

"Dude, you're in love."

"I know. That's why I'm so scared. Do you know I technically haven't come out to my parents yet? I'm from a small town in Mississippi. This is frowned upon. But I don't care. I'm just curious as to what Ted and Melanie are going to say when they find out."

"You refer to your parents as Ted and Melanie?"

"Well, what do you think I should call them, Mom and dad? No thanks. This isn't the life they chose for me. And they definitely didn't see Johnny coming. And won't when I go home to explain to them."

It was true. My mom and dad were godfearing people. That wasn't a big secret. Not at all. And having a bisexual son was also probably not on their list either, but Brett could do no wrong in their eyes, and I was the perpetual screw-up. Yeah, really no resentment there. Don't get me wrong, I'm not with Johnny to piss off the parental units, though, that's a good idea. It's just that Ted's always off on some half-cocked wrestling tour with one of the dinky Indies and Mom's just…mom. Sure, she's sweet, but she passes judgment a little too quickly.

"When are you going?"

"I'm going to save him, then going to see them. He needs to be prepared. I know it's gonna be a lot to handle, but I think he can do it. I need him to just be okay long enough to meet Ted and Melanie."

Cody nodded. Thinking about my parents made me tired. But knowing that I was a few short hours away from John, made me nervous. I didn't know what condition he was going to be in when I got to him. All I know is that I closed my eyes for two seconds and then Cody was nudging me.

"Dude…wake up. We're here."

I woke up and stretched as best as I could in airplane seats. I stood up and filed out with the rest of the people and made my way out to the airport. Cody was having a hard time keeping up, but it was because I was running. But by the time he made it, he was out of breath. I got to a taxi, but before I could get in, something white caught my eye. It was a white shirt. A familiar white shirt. I turned toward the potted plants and saw that John was tied up, and he was crying. I slammed the door of the cab and ran over to the bushes and knelt in front of him.

"Johnny?"

"Teddy?"

"It's me baby…I'm here."

I said, pulling him into my arms. I untied his hands and his feet and just sat there with him for awhile. I let him cry out whatever he was going through. I wasn't man enough to hold in my tears, so I cried with him. I whispered in his ear and then he looked at me.

"How did you find me?"

"Randy called. Cody stayed with me, and we got here as fast as we could. You okay to walk?"

Johnny nodded and I helped him stand up. He was a mess. I couldn't take him to my parents house looking like this. There wasn't anyway. Cody had stayed off to the side to give us some privacy. Once he saw me and John emerging from the bushes, he hailed a taxi. I took some money out of my wallet to give to him, and he shook it off.

"No way dude, you get him to a hotel and get him cleaned up. This one's on me. Good luck guys."

I mumbled my thank yous back to him, and we proceeded to drive back to the hotel that John was staying at. When we emerged from the cab, and the driver was paid, we walked upstairs to his room. And this is where John takes over.

**John's POV**

Thanks honey, want some ice cream? There's some in the freezer. Okay, so we went back upstairs to the hotel room, and I was a mess. He put me on the bed and helped me remove my shoes. I stopped to look at him and realized what a mess he was. I didn't know whether to kiss him or hit him. I stopped his hand from removing my sock and looked at him.

"Teddy, love, you're a mess."

"Hell yeah I am. And when I'm through with Randy Orton, he'll be an even bigger mess."

I shook my head. I just wanted to be here with Teddy in this moment and not worry about Randy. Not when we had bigger issues looming. I looked at him and then I knew what I wanted to do.

"Teddy?"

"Yes love?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What's that?"

And with a fierce look of determination, and love, I palmed his face. His chin always fit just right in my hands, and I'd never be able to do that with anyone else. My hand didn't fit everyone else's face. It's like this hand was made just for his face.

"Make love to me."

And he just stared at me. Then he walked over to the bed, kissed me. Lifted me up and carried me into the shower. He was shedding my clothes as I was shedding his. He started the water and we stepped in together. He kissed my neck softly, and caressed my back as he grabbed the washcloth and some soap. He started washing my back softly, kissing where the water had rinsed. It was the most sensual experience I'd ever had. He came back to my face and kissed me passionately there. He grabbed a bottle from out of the shower caddy and applied it to himself and then he entered me. I held on to his neck as he thrusted back and forth. I couldn't help it. I put my head on his shoulder and melted into him.

"Mmm..Teddy."

"You like this Johnny? How about this?"

He asked, kissing me again. He reached down to stroke the hardness in between my legs and I couldn't bear it anymore. I moaned louder and louder, he penetrated faster and faster. I could feel it building. The pressure of our hands on my hardness, and the penetrations, I was gonna lose it.

"Shit Teddy….god, I love you…I love you so much."

"I love you too, Johnny. Just release…don't hold back on me baby, let go."

He said, kissing me one final time as I came long and hard. I let out the loudest gutteral growl I think I'd ever heard and sighed happily. Teddy bit down on my shoulder and I groaned softly.

"Wow."

He said. I had to agree. That was one of the best sessions we'd ever had. Something inside Teddy had broken, and I think we needed that. We cleaned up, got out of the shower, and walked into the bedroom. We climbed into bed and lay there curled up together for awhile.

"Teddy."

"Yes?"

"I love you."

"I know."

"Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will Johnny. We have to go tell Ted and Melanie."

"And so we shall."

And that's how we went from dating to engaged…romantic huh? Yeah, well our bliss would be short lived…especially when we went to see his parents.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

**John's POV**

I woke up in the hotel with Ted wrapped around me. I shook him softly to wake him up and smiled when he looked up at me. He always looked so good in the morning, and that made me smile.

"Good morning."

"Hello beautiful. Did you just wake up?"

I nodded. I pushed some hair out of my face and smiled at him. He shook his head and untangled his legs from me. We'd slept like this all night. In all of our naked glory, and it felt nice. He sat up, and I sat with him and smiled. He turned back to me and he had a look of concern on his face. I reached up and smoothed the wrinkles out of his forehead.

"Now, you gonna tell me what's bothering you?"

I asked him. He was going to tell me we had to go to see his parents. Not somewhere I wanted to be, but you know, it needed to be done. I've been in his position, and it does suck. But I wouldn't tell him that. Not until he really needed to hear it.

"We've gotta go to Mississippi. I know, I know you don't want too, but if we're making the life long commitment to each other, then we've gotta go see my mom and dad."

I looked at him and smiled. This was truly making him nervous. Seeing Ted and Melanie was not high on his list. He had to introduce me as his roommate when I answered the phone two weeks ago. It was embarrassing, but it would be so much easier to not hide. So, I knew we were doing all the right things.

"Teddy, listen to me. As much as we don't want to, we've got to. Lets go prove to them that we're good together. I'm anticipating just as much as you are. I'd rather stick a hot fireplace poker in my eye, but we've got to do this."

And Teddy pushed me back into the bed. He was smiling by this point. He kissed my forehead, my cheek, my chin and made his way down to my chest. He looked up at me, and smiled.

"You are too good for me, and I love you."

"I love you too…if you keep doing that, we'll never make the airport."

"I know. I'm intending to miss the plane!"

Teddy said, sliding beneath the sheets, and continuing where we left off last night…and that was a good place to be. Excuse me for a moment. Teddy, can you take over?

**Ted's POV**

I know what you're doing in there, Hennigan, don't think I don't! Anyway, after our impromptu love making session, we got showers, separately and then got dressed and headed to the airport. We were going home to see my family, and it was going to be a little awkward. Coming out to your family is NOT something that you want to do. I watched as he came out of the bathroom in suit pants and a v-neck t-shirt. I wanted to eat him up. He once described my scent as cotton candy meets Axe Chocolate. He smelled like vanilla musk and lavender. It could be his shampoo, but who knows. I grabbed his bags and smiled at him.

"Ready love?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

He said, and we made our way to the airport. We boarded the plane and headed to Mississippi. This was the last place I wanted to be. So, John and I fell asleep. It was weird going home. I hadn't been home in four years, but it was time. It would be good to see my little brother, though. Brett was the prodigal son, but he was also my brother. Sure, I loved him. Most of the time. I woke up, just as we were making the descent into Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport. I nudged John and watched as he woke up and rubbed his eyes. I smiled and rubbed his knee nervously. It calmed me down a little.

"Relax love. We'll be there soon, and this'll all be over."

"I know. I'm going to need you to wait just outside the back door till it's over. If I know Ted and Melanie, they're going to be sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee and reading the paper."

And this was true. It was routine. They'd been doing it for as long as I could remember. We walked through Gulfport-Biloxi International and got a rental car. I started panicking as I drove through the familiar streets headed towards Clinton. John turned on some silly rap station and started rapping. It turns out that he was rapping to 'Rapper's Delight' by Sugarhill Gang. He was doing a great job. It took my mind off of a lot. Plus, I couldn't stop laughing seeing this insanely pale white guy sing this song.

"Come on Teddy, sing with me."

"No thanks, I'll pass."

I said, as I turned onto Natchez Trace Parkway. Just another hour and we'd be there. I was preparing what I was going to say in my mind. I was quiet. This was even odder for me. I was NEVER quiet. And Johnny could tell you that. As we pulled onto the Clinton exit, my palms got sweatier. It wasn't cool. I didn't like this reaction I was having. This is odd, even for me. John noticed I was near freak out and demanded pulling the car over. I pulled off onto the shoulder and watched as he got out of the passenger side, walked around the car, opened the door, undid my seatbelt, and pulled me out. He stroked my head, leaned in and whispered to me.

"Who the fuck cares what they think. Stop stressing. Know that I love you, and that's all that matters, and what they think, doesn't matter. So, give me the keys, tell me which way to go. I'm driving. You're taking too long."

He said, climbing into the drivers seat before I could object. I climbed into the passenger seat and pointed things out to John. We pulled up to the house sometime later and I smiled at him. This was where I spent most of my years. It was home. As we pulled around back, I could see my mom standing in the window, pouring what had to be her thousandth cup of coffee for that day. I watched as John stopped the car and turned to look at me.

"Go inside, knock their socks off. Then come back to me. We'll go back home, and forget this happened."

I nodded and took a deep breath. He got out of the car behind me, and followed me to the back door, staying just out of sight. I knocked twice on the wooden doors and walked in.

"Mama?"

My mom looked up and grinned. She was so happy to see me. I loved that look on her face when I visited. She walked over and hugged me. And then she kissed me. I put my keys on the counter, and walked over to my dad and shook his hand.

"So, what brings you home, after all this time?"

Dad asked me as I poured a cup of coffee. I saw John outside messing around with their dogs and it made me smile. That's what brought me here. That man outside, and seeing that gave me the confidence that I needed to continue this conversation. I sat down at the table across from them, and started my speech.

"Mom, Dad. I have something to tell you. For the last three months, I have been living with someone. This someone is important to me. We are in a committed relationship, and we are getting married. And we're going to do it with, or without your support. I wake up every morning and think about what a lucky bastard I am that I have this incredible person. I love them. And I can't live without them. And I choose not to. Please, don't try to influence my decision. So, want to meet my fiancé?"

And I watched their expressions. My mom looked happy. Dad looked bored, but even in his retirement years, or semi-retirement years, I should say, he was always bored. I waited for someone to speak, and finally my mom did.

"Sure. Bring her in."

Her. I heard it clear as day. I walked to the door and opened it, poking my head out. By this time, Brett had come into the kitchen, and I was going to be even more afraid of the reaction I was going to get.

"Babe, you can come in now!"

I yelled. I watched as John made his way towards the door. He walked in and I watched as Melanie, Ted and Brett looked around. They were looking for my fiancé. I knew that. I took John's hand discreetly in the kitchen, knowing that it relaxed me. I had to smile as they were confused.

"Ted, where's your fiancé?"

Melanie asked. I tugged my hand away from John's and wrapped my arm around his shoulder. This was where it got dicey. Brett snickered, and Ted's eyes got bigger. His face was turning red, and right away he knew.

"Mom, Dad, Brett. This is John Hennigan. My fiancé."

"Over my dead body, Theodore."

My father said. I shook my head. I was trying not to let my temper get the best of me. It wasn't working. I knew that he was going to say something cruel. And I couldn't help it. He only used my given name, when he was angry, and I was too. I looked at John and sighed. He nodded and I looked back at Ted.

"You know what dad, I knew you were going to do that. When Brett got Leah pregnant in high school, that was okay, as long as he did the right thing. When I got arrested for DUI in Hillborough County, you told me it was embarrassing and sad that my behavior was inappropriate and unbecoming of a DiBiase. Well guess what, Ted, this takes the cake for me. I'm in love with him. I am a bisexual man…and I'm happy."

"Marriage? Marriage is between a man and a woman. Not two men. Now, nothing against John. I'm sure he's a nice guy, but this is wrong."

"Wrong? Wrong in who's eyes dad? Yours, or God's. Because I feel like this was in God's plan for me. Come on, Johnny, we're leaving."

And I felt free. More free than I had in the longest time. My mom was in the corner, crying. I felt her heart breaking. I understood it, but I couldn't let this keep me here. I couldn't. I turned to walk out the door when Ted's voice stopped me.

"If you walk out that door with him, you're no longer welcome in this house. Or in this family."

"Fine. Have a nice life. I don't want to be a part of your miserable, judgmental pity parties anyway. Face it, Ted. You're now one of those statistic families. Torn apart by stereotypes and hate."

And I walked out. I could tell John was worried. But I didn't say anything until we got back into the car. Suddenly, I burst into tears


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

**John's POV**

"Shh…baby, don't cry."

I said, rocking him gently. This was hard on him. Hell, this was hard on me, seeing him this way. I knew though that it was tough on him to be separated from them on any level. Suddenly, a soft knock came to the driver's side window. I looked up to see his mom and his brother standing there. I patted his shoulder as he looked up at the window. I put the window down and looked at them. I was angry for the reaction that Ted Sr., had given Ted, but also angry for the responses that lacked his mother and brother, who stood before us now.

"Can I help you?"

I asked, as Ted wiped away the tears. I wanted so much to put that car in reverse and just leave. Go back to Florida, and be happy. I found myself missing the dog and the cat, and that was it. Ted sniffled a little bit, and looked at his mom too. I was hoping that something good was coming from this, and not another ambush attack.

"Yes. We weren't properly introduced. I'm Melanie DiBiase. I'm Ted's mom. And this is Brett. Ted's brother."

"Nice meeting you both."

"I am sorry for my husband. You see, he doesn't understand it. He and Ted never got along. Not even when Ted was in high school and college. I'm not saying I like the idea, but the way he looks at you, John. Not even I can deny what you feel. Please, just please. Don't hurt him."

Ted looked at his mom. I smiled softly at her. I watched him get out of the car and walk around to face his mom. Then he pulled her into the warmest hug I'd ever seen. This is what made me get out of the car too. His brother shook my hand warmly.

"Congratulations are in order. So, congratulations."

He said. This was weird. It was like walking into the Twilight Zone. Ted wrapped his arm around his brother and I and pulled us into the hug that he was sharing with his mother.

"Mama, I love him. No woman has ever made me feel the way I do when I'm with him. Before I found him, it was like something was missing. Now that I've got him, my life is complete. He and I have been through a lot in just a short period of time. Did you know that he was WWE Champion?"

Melanie seemed shocked by this and I nodded. She turned to me as the hug was broken and Ted sat on the hood and pulled me in between his legs. I sat on the bumper. I looked at his mom who smiled when we talked.

"You were?"

"Yes ma'am. I was. It was brief, but I didn't like it much."

"Why did you lose?"

"Because Stephanie McMahon told me I had to choose between my life and the belt. The belt, is not my life. Ted is. So I made the easy choice, and walked away from the championship."

Melanie looked genuinely pleased that I'd do this. Ted had finally stopped crying and was joking around with his brother. Melanie and I talked for a little while longer until Ted said that we had to get back on the road. And with the draft coming up on Raw…it was mandatory for all superstars to be there. So, we had to go. As I pulled out onto the highway, Ted spoke to me for the first time in awhile.

"Baby, I am so proud of you."

"Proud of me? Why?"

"Well, for starters. You charmed my mother. Not an easy thing to do, that. She normally goes in sync with everything Ted does. And Brett. He's not an insanely likeable guy, but he gets the job done. He's a good brother. And Ted…well, we're not going to be barking up that tree for awhile. So, let's just go relax for a couple days before we have to go to the Raw city."

And that was it. I settled in for the long drive. We'd decided to spend the time driving, instead of flying. It was just easier. He wasn't himself. I hadn't seen him this silent in awhile. It bugged me a little. So I was thinking maybe I did something wrong.

"Teddy?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No honey, why would I be mad at you?"

"I thought maybe I did something wrong."

"Nope."

And that was the end of it. I needed to get gas in the car, so I pulled into a gas station. I got to the pump and got out of the car. Ted got out of the car as well, and started inside.

"Johnny, want anything?"

"Cheetos. And a Smartwater."

"Kay."

Ted said, going inside. I turned back to the pump and just as I was getting ready to open the fuel door, this well manicured, sandaled toe headed towards me. I rolled my eyes, though I was used to being approached by women. It didn't change my opinion of ring rats…and this one was just that.

"Hello gorgeous."

She said. I tagged the gas number and concentrated on filling the tank. She had approached me this time. I wasn't paying attention, my thoughts on the man standing at the register, staring at me. She tapped me on the shoulder and I turned around and smiled politely.

"Hi."

"Hello! Oh my god, this is so exciting! I'm Rachel. And those are my friends Heather and Lacie. We were wondering what you were doing in this part of town."

"Well Rachel, I'm getting gas. Doesn't that look obvious?"

"Yeah. Well, we were wondering…oh my god! Is that Ted DiBiase? Lacie LOVES him!"

She said, running back to get her friend out of the car. Ted was still in line, but he looked confused. And a little mad. I'd wished that the numbers would tick by faster, but it seemed like the pump was taking forever. Rachel and Lacie came back and Lacie smiled at me.

"So, Morrison. How's about you and Rachel and me and Teddy go back to the hotel for a romp in the pool?"

"No thanks ladies, Ted and I have a long drive ahead of us."

Just then the nozzle clicked to signify that the tank was done filling. I kept thanking god. The sooner I got finished this, and the sooner Teddy came out, the sooner we can be gone. I went to lift the nozzle out, and the woman called Rachel reached out for it, and grabbed my package instead.

"I'm sorry…here, let me get that for you."

I was appalled. I lifted the nozzle out myself and put it back on the gas tank. The one called Rachel took my hand and had a pen in hers. I knew what she was doing, but as I tried pulling my hand away, she yanked harder. I thought she'd have damn near yanked my arm off.

"This is my number. Call me."

She said, getting back in the car. Just then, I heard Teddy get in the car and slam the door, loudly. I knew I was in trouble. I brushed off the girls and got in the car. I pulled out of the parking lot quickly and looked at Teddy. He was seething mad.

"You mad at me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"You were flirting with them."

He thought I was flirting…with those three walking train wrecks. When the love of my life was no more than forty feet away, inside the store? Really? Really? I pulled off to the side of the road, again. This was beginning to get to be a habit for us. I don't know if I liked it very much. I looked at him.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Ted?"

"No. You took her number."

"She wrote it on my hand! My hand! If she'd had given me a piece of paper with all three of their phone numbers, I'd have thrown it in the fucking trash can. Do not give me this shit now, Ted. Please? I have not even stared at another person, male or female, since we'd gotten together!"

"Well…whatever. She did grab your nuts dude."

"I grab your nuts on a daily basis."

Ted looked at me. It was his angry look. The look where his top lip doesn't match his lower one, and his lower lip protrudes out just a little. I couldn't help it. I started laughing. He looked too damn cute. I reached out and kissed that bottom lip softly. I felt as his lips curled up into a smile.

"I'm sorry. This has been a long day. My jealousy got the best of me. I love you. I'm sorry. Let's just go home, kay?"

And with that, I knew everything was going to be okay. And just for good measure, he reached over and grabbed my nuts. I moaned softly. I liked it when he did it. Not when the rats did it. So, I did it to him once, just as payback.

"Bitch."

He said. I laughed and put my hand back on the wheel and drove back to Florida. Where hopefully, we'd live blissfully for awhile.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

**Ted's POV**

I did overreact towards the whole girl thing didn't I? I know, I know. I'm surprised he bought that excuse. Sure I was pissed. I wanted him to react! I wanted him to flirt with them, the way Morrison would. A little part of me wanted to see how he'd do it. To see if he'd be the pimp I always knew he was. But then the major part of me knew how jealous I was. I was jealous too, because that should've been me out there with him. But hey, I'm over it. We made it back to Florida in one piece. Which is good, because I wanted to just jump in bed and lay there forever. I thanked the neighbor that was dog sitting Riggs for me and walked into the house. John, it seemed to me, was just a huge ball of energy. I couldn't do it.

"Honey. I'm going to go lay down for a little bit. You gonna be good?"

"Yeah. I've got to go clean out Palace's litter box anyway. You look beat. Go lay down, and I'll wake you up in a couple hours for dinner."

"Okay. Love you."

"Love you more."

I said, walking up the stairs. I walked into the bedroom, and lay on the bed. And just fell asleep. I remember waking up a few hours later to something that sounded like a cat screeching. It was horrible. Wait, it was John's singing. He was in the bathroom. And he was singing the prettiest song.

_**It's a little bit funny this feeling inside**_

_**I'm not one of those who can easily hide**_

_**I don't have much money but boy if I did**_

_**I'd buy a big house where we both could live**_

I knew that song. It was a song I've listened to frequently. It was a song that reminded me so much of Johnny that it was hard to focus. He was butchering the song though. So, I got up out of the bed and silently crept down to the bathroom. I watched him as he was scrubbing the shower. He looked so cute cleaning. Hell, he was cute singing 'Your Song' by Elton John. I wanted to sing to him too. So, I opened my mouth and started singing.

_**And you can tell everybody this is your song**_

_**It may be quite simple but now that it's done**_

_**I hope you don't mind**_

_**I hope you don't mind that I put down in words**_

_**How wonderful life is while you're in the world.**_

John dropped the sponge and looked at me. He didn't know I could sing. Hell, I didn't even know I could sing. It just kinda happened. He walked over to me and hugged me. He didn't know I'd woke up. But it was okay, because we needed this. He turned down the radio and smiled.

"You're up."

"Yeah. I heard this screeching, I needed to come investigate."

"Screeching? Really? I've been through all of Eminem's CD's and now Elton John. I've got dinner on. It's in the oven, and I've been cleaning."

"Baby, don't clean the house. It's our day off. Let's just enjoy it."

"Enjoy it? Honey, this place is a pigsty. I haven't even really finished the kitchen. I did Palace's litter box, I took Riggs for a walk…okay, technically he walked me, but I was still successful in walking him."

He was about to bend over to pick up the sponge when I kicked it away. He was frustrated and I laughed a little. I didn't know why he was so mad about the cleaning. This wasn't Johnny.

"Honey, you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine."

"Are you lying to me?"

"Yes. Yes I am. I'm not fine, Teddy. Your dad is bugging me."

So this was about Ted. I shook my head and pulled him into my arms. I wasn't letting Ted's reaction bother me, so why should he let it bother him? Especially when I knew that Ted was going to react that way.

"No. Do not let his reaction bother you. This has nothing to do with you as much as it does his prejudices. So fuck him. Fuck him, fuck his prejudices. This is about me and you. We are happy. So, stop cleaning. Stop moping around. Give me that Morrison smile."

And he knew I had him. He grinned at me and I knew that's what I loved about him. That smile right there, made me melt. It was just so beautiful, and sweet. So, I needed to know.

"What's for dinner?"

"Chicken pot pie."

"Mmm…yeah. Sounds good. What else?"

"Nothing. Just pot pies. When my mom made them, she made just pot pies. Trust me, when you see how big they are, you'll understand it."

I nodded. We walked downstairs and I noticed there was food on the floor. I'd wondered if John had left the pot pies out to cool. I looked at him. He hadn't quite seen it, but when he reached the landing of the steps, he squealed.

"No! No Riggs! Oh no!"

He said. I was standing in the kitchen doorway by this time. Riggs had the pan on the floor with his nose in it, eating. I couldn't help but to laugh. I went to pick up the pan, but Riggs growled. I looked at John and he was laughing too. He looked at me and grinned.

"Frozen pizzas?"

"Frozen pizzas. And beer."

This was turning into some night. I wrapped my arms around him and grinned. I knew that he was loosening up. It took Riggs eating our dinner to loosen him up. He pulled away from me and went to the freezer. I knew that this was the way my life was supposed to be. Then the inevitable happened….


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**John's POV**

Whoa, hold up sunshine. You're jumping the gun just a little. The inevitable happens, yes. But we haven't described the wedding yet. Oh, that's the inevitable you were talking about! Okay. So, a couple nights after the disastrous dinner that the dog ate, we had decided that we were going to talk about the wedding. So, as we were boarding the plane from Tampa to Little Rock, Arkansas we talked about it.

"Tahiti?"

"No. No beaches."

I said. For some reason, growing up in Los Angeles made me hate beaches. I don't know why. Maybe it was the women. A lot of women hung out on beaches, and when I realized how not into women I was, I avoided beaches at all costs. Ted didn't question it, so we continued on.

"How about Mexico? Cabo's nice this time of year. There's a great little villa right off of the ocean. There's no sand…it's beautiful Johnny."

I had to think about it. Then I got the idea. I knew that he would probably say no. And if we could find someone to pull it off, it would be even cooler. I looked at him, smiling. He shook his head like he was confused.

"What?"

"Why not just do it at the house? We'll invite your mom and Brett, my mom and sisters Kelly and Elise, Cody, Shawn and Matt Korklan. I know a minister who does same sex weddings, and that way we don't have to go anywhere. We can just schedule a couple days off, get married, relax and stay home as a blissfully married couple."

I could tell that Teddy was considering it. We wanted to do it as soon as possible, so we had to get people together. I knew Cody would do it, because Gail loved Teddy and I. I also knew Shawn had made peace with us and said that'd he'd attacked me for money, and Matt Korklan, also known as Evan Bourne, was locked in a relationship with Joshua Harter, known as TNA's own Chris Sabin. They were looking for a way to come out, and this would be a great time. Ted smiled at me.

"What a great idea, Johnny. We've got a couple days off next week. We can do it then. I'm wrestling a match with Matt tonight anyway, and I'll ask him. I know that he and Josh are finally coming out as a couple. Matt was at the Impact tapings a couple weeks ago and they came out there."

"Ooh, what was the reaction?"

"Surprisingly, Dixie Carter and Jeff Jarrett were okay with it. None of that prejudicial crap they got going on here."

Shocker. I was happy to be planning our wedding. We got silent suddenly, because they were showing a movie on the plane and it was 'Valentine's Day' . We laughed, we cried and we landed in Little Rock. We got off the plane and was surprised to see Cody stepping off the plane too. I called out to him, and he looked at us. We waved and he walked over to us.

"Hey guys! Long time no see."

"It's been a while. How's it going buddy."

I asked him. We spoke briefly, then Ted brought our bags over. He looked genuinely surprised to see Cody. We walked through the airport talking and then we brought up the wedding.

"So," Ted said, as we all got into the same taxi together. We were going to the arena together, and we figured that it would probably be easier instead of getting two cabs. "What are you doing next Thursday?"

Ted asked him. Cody looked confused, which didn't surprise me, because he was always confused. He took out a calendar book and looked at Thursday. I looked at Ted who rolled his eyes and took my hand behind the seat. That's how we sat all the way to the arena.

"I'm free Thursday, why?"

"We're getting married on Thursday, and we want you and Gail to be there."

"Yes! Yes! Yes! We'll be there!"

"Sweet!"

I said, following Ted out of the cab. We knew that this was going to be hard to organize, but something needed to be done. We needed this for us. I think that it would be good for us. Ted smiled at him and passed him an envelope.

"Good. Here. This is a partial invite. Spread the word to Shawn and Matt Korklan. We've gotta go, but spread the word!"

Cody nodded and ran off. This was going to be so amazing….

**A week later**

"Thank you all for coming. Today, Ted and I share our love in front of our families and our closest friends. So, let's get this started."

I said, turning to him. He mouthed 'I love you' to me and I smiled as the minister, our neighbor Sally began.

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today in front of our witnesses and God to honor Ted and John's love. They've decided to write their own vows. So, let's start with Ted."

And Ted nodded. He looked me in the eye and I saw so much love for me there. I watched as he started talking.

"Johnny. I love you with every fiber of my being. Standing here with you today, I realize that I've got to be the luckiest man on the planet. When you walked into my life, I knew just how right it felt. People thought we were rushing our relationship, but with you, I fell deeper and deeper in love. I am so glad that you're with me in life. I am so in love with you and I cannot wait to continue our journey as your husband. I love you."

He said, sliding the wedding band onto my hand. I reached up to wipe away a tear on my face and realized that Ted did it for me. I looked around and realized between my mom and sisters, Ted's mom, Shawn and his wife Rebecca, and Josh and Matt, there wasn't a dry eye in the room, and I hadn't even spoken yet. Sally motioned for me to start, and I started speaking.

"Teddy. You are…everything I've ever looked for in a mate. I knew the moment I told you that I was in love with you, that the world suddenly fell into place. I know that being a man in a committed relationship with man is a hard thing, but you've made it easy for me. You've guided me, loved me, made me feel like I'm the only person in the entire world. And I cannot wait to continue on our journey as your husband."

I said, kissing his hand softly. I slid the ring on his hand, and turned to Sally. She smiled and grabbed our hands and linked them together, before placing her hand on top of ours.

"Theodore Marvin DiBiase, Jr. John Randall Hennigan. I now pronounce you husbands. You may kiss."

And Teddy kissed me, softly. It was a sweet kiss and he placed his forehead on mine. We'd agreed that for legal purposes I'd take his last name.

"I love you Johnny, forever."

"And I love you Teddy, forever."

And this was the week that our lives changed…..and they weren't good changes either, let me tell you that.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

**Ted's POV**

I remember it just like it was yesterday. I remember seeing the accident. I remember making the phone call to 911. I remember sitting with him in the hospital willing him to wake up. But I'm jumping the gun. Let me go back to two days before the accident.

**Two days before the accident…**

"Fuck you Ted!"

John yelled at me. He was blowing this whole thing completely out of proportion. I hadn't done anything wrong. At least, in my eyes I didn't. I had gone to the autograph signing with Maria and Eve. I had to, it was in my job description. John had escorted me because he was my husband, and I wanted him to. I signed for five hundred fans, and it was fun. It was afterwards that it all went downhill. After the mall closed, and the fans were all gone. Maria walked up to me and started watching my shoulders.

"Hello gorgeous."

"Hey Maria."

"I was wondering if you wanted to party with the divas later. We're having this huge party and we want you to be there."

I rolled my eyes. Obviously having a wedding band on my finger meant absolutely nothing to the divas. I finished packing up the bag I'd brought with me and turned to leave, but I grabbed Maria's arm. I turned her to face me and watched her face fall.

"I am not going out with you. Or any of the divas. I am married. See that man over there?" I asked, pointing to John who was over with the security guards in a heated conversation. "That man. Is my whole life. I'm sorry if you and the Divas don't get that, but I'm not giving up that man. So, go find someone else for your fucking party, because I'm not interested."

I said, hugging her and kissing her cheek softly. I picked up my bag and walked away, not realizing that John had turned to look at us. Eve hadn't tried anything funny, and I was grateful for that. I headed back towards John and smiled at him.

"Wanna go home?"

"No. I want you to explain to me what the fuck that was just now."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. I didn't know what the hell he was talking about. Unless he was discussing the cheek kissing that I just planted on Maria, but I highly doubted it.

"What?"

"You kissed Maria, Ted."

"I didn't kiss Maria, John. I gave her a friendly peck on the cheek."

"That didn't look fucking friendly to me, Ted!"

I didn't know where this was coming from. I'd never seen him this mad before, but for some reason I couldn't figure out where his anger was coming from. Right after we got married, we swore to each other that we wouldn't sweat the small stuff. And now he was sweating the small stuff.

"She grabbed my arm, asked me to party with her and the Divas. I told her that you were far more important to me than any party with them. I hugged her, then I kissed her cheek. But I didn't mean it in a romantic way. Where is this coming from Johnny, are you okay?"

"No! I'm not okay, Ted. You kissed a woman in front of me. I've been dealing with women throwing themselves at you all day. You flung them off left and right. But when it came to the Divas, you couldn't help yourself."

He said, grabbing his coat. I couldn't let him walk out without telling him that I loved him. I didn't get it. I couldn't wrap my brain around his anger. I couldn't. I followed him out of the mall.

"Johnny, wait!"

"No! No Ted! We're not doing this!"

"Then tell me why you're so angry with me! This has NOTHING to do with Maria, does it?"

"Of course it does! Of course it does! It has everything to do with women. You're not sure of your sexuality! You never have been!"

"Dammit John, I married you! I married you because I love you! Please, don't walk away from me!"

John turned to face me. He wasn't angry, he was sad. Sad because this was eating him up. I needed to know why he was feeling this way. What, or who made him feel this way. He shook his head at me and fiddled with his wedding band.

"I'm not sure you ever did. I'm not sure you ever loved me, Teddy. Now, I'm going to give you a couple of days to find where your head is. If you love me, you can come home. If you don't. Call me, so I can pack up your stuff."

He said, getting in his car. As he was walking away, I noticed he'd dropped his cell phone. There was a text message flashing on it. I've never gone through his cell ever, and I wasn't about to start now. But something made me open it. Maybe it was a key to what kind of a mood he was in. So, I typed in his password. It was my birthday, that was so easy. And looked at the message. I was going to kill someone when I read it.

_John,_

_I'm sorry to show you this picture. But it had to come from me. This is Maria and Ted from a recent appearance they made together._

_Stephanie._

I looked at the picture and sighed. That wasn't me. The guy in the picture was too short. This is what made him angry. I walked over to his car, and knocked on the window. I was legitimately hurt that he'd believe Stephanie over me. And I was his husband. I watched as the window went down and he looked up at me. I threw his cell phone on the seat and shook my head.

"Look closer. You'll see that's not me. By the way, I cannot fucking believe that you'd believe Stephanie McMahon over me. I'm your husband…"

I said, shaking my head and walking back to my car. My heart was torn into a million little pieces that John would let one text message break his faith in me. So, I did what I could do in my anger. I called Stephanie on the phone.

"Stephanie McMahon's office. Leah speaking."

"Leah, it's Ted DiBiase Jr. I know Stephanie's not in the office today, but can I leave a message for her?"

"Sure Ted. Go ahead."

"Tell her to keep her fucking nose out of my business. Tell her thank you for potentially ruining my marriage. And tell her that if I don't get an appropriate apology in twenty-four hours, I'm calling her sister."

And I hung up the phone. I had to fix things with John. I did…before it was too late…


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

**Ted's POV**

John doesn't remember anything about the events leading up to the accident. I'm surprised he even remembered that we're married. But, he did. Now, I got my phone call from Stephanie. She apologized to John and I for interfering in our relationship and starting trouble where there didn't need to be. She begged us not to call Alison and we promised we wouldn't. So, things were good. They weren't great, but he wasn't angry at me anymore. But now the time has come. The day that changed my life….the day of Johnny's accident….

**March 10****th**** 10:00 am.**

I remember sitting at the house. I was on a conference call with WWE Tokyo about merchandising deals. I hadn't heard John leave this morning for his workout, but he did. He left about eight. Which was fine with me. Because I wasn't working out today. I heard the door open and saw him come in. I waved at him and he waved back. He was going upstairs to take a shower. Same as he did everyday after a hard workout. I finished with Tokyo a little while later and walked upstairs. He was packing our luggage for our flight out of Florida and smiled at me.

"How was the gym?"

"Long and arduous. How was the merchandising meeting?"

"Same shit. I've gotten them up to 15% for me. That's as far as they'd budge. Honey, relax. We don't have to be at the airport for another two hours."

"I know. But I needed something to do. Are we still taking separate cars?"

"Yeah. I think it would be easier, you know. I've gotta take Riggs to the kennel. Then you can follow me up."

"That sounds like a plan to me."

He said, smiling. We sat on the couch for a few minutes and then we both got up. We had so much to do, and a little bit of time to do it in. We started getting everything together, and he made sure both cars were packed. I leashed up Riggs and put Palace in his cat carrier and put them in my car. I watched John get in his Ferrari and smiled. I walked over to him and watched as he put the window down. I leaned in and kissed him.

"Be careful, take it easy. I love you."

"I know. I love you too."

He said, pulling out and onto the street. I jumped into my Hummer and watched as he drove down the street. I followed closely behind him and watched as he sailed through traffic lights with ease. We made it to the kennel in one piece and he grabbed Palace from me.

"She's my cat. I get to carry her in."

John didn't want to take Palace to the kennel, but I thought it would be a great idea for Riggs to have some company while he was there. I wrapped my arms around him and walked into the kennel. We spent a little while chatting with everyone there, and knew that Palace and Riggs were in the right place. Then we walked out, and he kissed me.

"Here we go. Onto a show! I love you Teddy."

"I love you too, Johnny. Be careful!"

"Always am."

He said. And that was true. He'd just bought the Ferrari and he was still trying to baby it. I had to grin when he drove it home and I shook my head. I didn't know why he'd bought it, but he'd needed a new car anyway. We were pulling out of the kennel and we'd made it down and onto the Interstate heading towards the airport. I was at a traffic light when it happened. A silver BMW Series 1 convertible came careening towards John. He was sitting at the traffic light waiting for it to change. When it changed, the silver BMW sped up, and as John made it through the light, the BMW hit him head on.

"Johnny!"

I screamed. I pulled off to the side of the road and called 911. The silver BMW convertible was stuck where it hit John. I ran over to the car, and John was out cold, and there was blood everywhere. I was on the phone with the dispatcher and watched the person in the silver BMW drive off. I caught a glimpse of the familiar brown hair and cold blue eyes. My eyes narrowed and my jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it. And I swore if anything happened to John, I was going to murder her. The paramedics pulled up, and suddenly I saw Cody and Gail Kim running towards me. I had started crying and didn't realize it.

"Ted!"

Gail said. She looked at the mess that was the Ferrari and gasped. She pulled me into a hug and started crying with me. I couldn't be here by myself, and then the police officers that were on the scene came up to me and started asking me questions.

"The silver BMW, did you know who the driver was? Did you see them?"

I nodded. I needed them to get John out of the car. I let go of Gail and looked at them pulling Johnny out of the Ferrari. There was blood everywhere and I let out a wail and pushed past them, running with all my might towards the stretcher. He was unconscious and he was bleeding everywhere. I looked at the paramedics and started to hop up into the ambulance with them.

"Sir, you can't come in here."

"He's my husband."

The paramedic looked at me, looked at the wedding bands on our hands and realized they matched. If the cops wanted to talk to me about the woman driving the silver BMW, they could do it at the convertible. I knew Cody and Gail would follow to the hospital, and I also knew that John had to survive. He had to. I held his hand, and brushed his hair out of his face while the paramedics worked on him.

"He's crashing."

The paramedics said. I looked up and slid closer to Johnny's head without being in the way. I needed him to be aware that I was there. I leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Johnny, please. Don't leave me…please. I love you…."

And as they worked tirelessly on him, his heartbeat regulated again. We made it to the hospital and as we were going into the ER, I was denied entry. I looked at them, confused. It hadn't dawned on me at that point that I was being denied entry, because we had no rights. I punched a wall and waited for someone to come out to see me. A few hours later, sitting with Gail and Cody, a female doctor came out to see us.

"Are you guys the family of John Hennigan-DiBiase?"

"Yes ma'am. I'm his husband Ted. These are our friends Gail Kim and Cody Runnels. How is he doctor?"

I don't know if the doctor was a staunch supporter of same sex couples, or what, but she looked at me warmly and shook her head. It wasn't looking good. I knew that. There was too much blood. There was way too much blood.

"Mr. DiBiase, Ms. Kim, Mr. Runnels, Mr. Hennigan has suffered quite a severe brain trauma. When his head hit the windshield, his brain suffered quite a bit of damage. He may never walk or talk again. It's very touch and go at this point."

"May I see him?"

"I can only do so much, Mr. DiBiase. Family only."

She said, walking away from me. That meant no. I didn't know what to do. I noticed the police walking towards me and I looked at them. I knew who did this, and I wanted that person to pay.

"I know who did it. Her name is Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. And I want to press charges."

I said, knowing in my heart of hearts that I had to see Johnny. I needed to sit with him. And normally, one person could pull a few strings. I didn't know if he still could with us not speaking, but I had to try.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

**Ted's POV**

I stared at the phone at the nurse's station and willed myself to dial the number. It was just ten numbers. I picked up the phone and dialed the number. And listened as it rang. I didn't know how I had a voice, all I know is that I did. Then I heard it. I heard the voice on the other end, and I cringed.

"Hello?"

"Dad…"

I said, trying not to break down yet. I couldn't lose it. Not until I got through my story. I sighed and waited for one of us to break the silence. He did first, and for that I was grateful.

"Ted. You sound upset. What's wrong?"

"Dad, I need your help. I need to be able to see John."

"Where is John?"

"Tampa Baptist Hospital. He was in a head on collision. It's not good, dad. I wouldn't ask if I had anyone else…please dad, you've gotta help me."

I knew I was begging. But I needed to go in and sit with him. Dad had connections that I couldn't come even CLOSE to having, but if dad could do this for me, then he could do anything.

"I know the chairman of the board at TBH. But Ted, I'm not promising anything. Jeff may or may not let you in. Florida doesn't recognize same sex marriages son. So, please, don't get your hopes up. I'll text you when I know something."

"Thanks dad…thanks a lot."

"And son…"

He said, and he said it with so much love in his voice, that I didn't know what to think about.

"Yeah dad?"

"I'm sorry about John. I hope that he recovers."

And he hung up. I was shocked. I didn't know he'd say that to me. I walked back over to Gail and Cody and sat down next to them. Cody didn't know how to ask me, so I just came out and said it.

"He knows the chairman of the board. I've gotta wait for his text message to tell me what he says. He told me that I shouldn't get my hopes up. I need to get in there, Gail. I do."

"I know honey. I do. But, what if you can't?"

I hadn't thought that far in advance. I couldn't think that far in advance. All I knew is that I needed this Jeff guy to come through for my dad and I. I'd owe my dad for this one, and I never stopped loving him. I was angry that he didn't support me, sure. But he was my dad. It seemed like forever before my phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at it and it was my dad. I took a deep breath, before opening it.

"_Teddy,_

_Jeff's coming to talk to you. Said he was going to think about it on the way down. Make an impassioned plea for you and him. I tried. _

_Dad."_

So, I waited. Suddenly, this blonde man wearing a suit and tie. I was shocked. I hadn't realized that the chairman of the board of Tampa Baptist Hospital was Jeff Jarrett. I stood up and hugged him. He hugged me back and then looked at me. I looked like hell, I knew it.

"Jeff."

"Hey Ted. Your father called…said your husband was in the hospital here. Congratulations on being married. I understand his name is John Hennigan."

"Yes that's right."

"He's in room 1120. If anyone asks, you're his brother. And these two are?"

"They're Gail Kim and Cody Runnels. They're friends of ours."

"They're allowed in too if they wanna go. Remember. You're John's brother."

I nodded and hugged Jeff. I watched him walk away. I owed Ted. I owed him my life, and I'd call him when I was done with John. I walked down the hallway and found room 1120. I took a deep breath and opened the door. John was hooked up to many machines. I wanted to look away, but I couldn't. His hair was fanned out on the pillow like it was when we slept in bed. I saw the chair by the bed. I finally walked in, closed the door behind me, and sat in the chair. I took his hand and stroked his arm softly. I didn't know what to do, so I started talking to him.

"Hey Johnny, it's me. Teddy. Your husband. You're in Tampa. In Tampa Baptist Hospital. You were in a car accident. Please Johnny, open those eyes…those beautiful brown eyes. Please…"

I said. Nothing. I put my head on the mattress and placed his hand on the back of mine. I needed that familiar, soothing feeling to calm me down. I hadn't realized that I'd started crying.

"Johnny…please. I need you. My heart is breaking. You need to wake up for me. You need to center me. You've gotta pull through this for me honey. Please…please do this for me. Please. I don't ask for much…"

And I heard the door open. I looked up. And standing in the doorway was Stephanie McMahon. I shook my head and looked at John. I walked into the hallway and pulled her with me.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

I growled. I watched her wring her hands together and I could tell she was hurting. She had cuts and bruises on her face. It didn't matter to me. I wanted her as far away from room 1120 as possible.

"I came to speak the truth. Yes, I deliberately ran him over. Yes, I hope he's out of the picture, but not because I want you for myself."

She said. I shook my head. I was disgusted with Stephanie. Disgusted beyond words. I wanted to hit her. I was a man, I'd never hit a lady. Except maybe Stephanie. I waited for her to continue.

"I did this for your career. This could ruin you, Ted. RUIN. You can't come back from this. Your fans find out you're a gay man, they could potentially turn on you! This prevents you from having any title shots. I promise you, if you continue this…your career is over."

"I could give a shit about my career Stephanie! It's not about my career! This is my LIFE! And you do NOT get to play God with my life! If he doesn't make it, Stephanie I swear to God, that you will pay. And if he does make it, I promise you I'm going to quit. Because I don't need you. I don't need this money. I don't need this fucking company. Stay away from me, stay away from Johnny."

I turned back towards Johnny's door when Stephanie's arm stopped me. She pulled me to face her, and I looked into her eyes. I saw all the malice and hate of her father, and suddenly I realized she was more like Vince than anyone ever knew.

"I will make your life a living hell, DiBiase. You and John. You will never be ANYTHING in this business, and I guarantee you, that you better fucking watch your back. Because anything can happen."

She said walking away. I had no time to worry about her veiled threats. I had a husband to go and sit with.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**Still Ted's POV**

It was a long two days. People cycled in left and right. My parents and brothers, John's mom and his two sisters. Matt and Josh Harter, Shawn and Rebecca Hickenbottom, Cody and Gail came in. Even John Cena and his boyfriend Jake Hager stopped in. I was so happy to see everyone. Then the doctor came in. Just as the doctor was checking John out, his finger moved. I'm his husband. I know when he's moved. And he hadn't moved in almost two days. His fingers flexed again. This time I spoke up.

"Doctor Shamrock. His fingers just moved."

And as I said that, his whole hand balled up in a fist. Doctor Shamrock noticed this too, and rushed out of the room. She came back in with three nurses and they literally shoved me out of the way. I stood off to the side and watched as they escorted Johnny into the hallway. I looked at the doctor.

"Doctor Shamrock, where are you taking John?"

"We're taking him to x-ray. If he's coming out of this, we need to know how bad the damage is."

And they took John to the elevator. Gail and Cody were sitting in the hallway when I rounded the corner. They looked at me, and they could tell my expression was good. I'd been such a bad friend these last couple days, that I was about to scream. Cody was the first to pick up on it.

"Is he awake?"

"Not yet. But his hands were moving. Not twitching, actually moving. He balled his entire hand into a fist. They took Johnny upstairs to x-ray to see if he was coming out of it. God, this is going to be something."

I was scared to death. I didn't know what Johnny was going to remember and what he wasn't going to remember. I didn't know if he was going to remember me as his husband, or if he was going to think me an awful competitor. All I knew was that he better wake the hell up, and fast. I took my cell out of my pocket and called my dad.

"Hey Ted, how's it going?"

"I'm good, Dad. How are you?"

"Good. How's John?

"He's doing well. I can't hold his in. He moved. Like actually moved. His fingers moved, then his whole hand balled up in a fist. Doctor Shamrock took him up for x-rays to see if he's coming out of this."

"Congratulations son. I know this has to be a step for you."

And suddenly, dad's voice was closer than I'd anticipated. I turned around and dad was there. I hung up and hugged him. This was a turning point for us. The fact that he was here, made it good. Just having someone in my family who wasn't my mom or Brett was amazing. He let go and looked at me.

"I'm willing to accept this. I'm going to accept this. I just don't feel that you should still give up on meeting a nice woman, but your decision is made. How about your career? I read online somewhere that you were quitting WWE?"

I didn't know that the dirt sheets had gone ahead with the rumor I was quitting. I hadn't made a formal decision, but I knew that I wasn't going to shovel shit from the McMahon's either, so it was a catch-22. I shrugged and looked at my dad. I could tell from the look on his face that he didn't want to judge me. And that right there was why I didn't want him around.

"I haven't made any final decisions. What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You could do so much better, Ted! You shouldn't walk away from your career over something as silly as your personal life. Ask yourself this question. Would John do the same thing?"

"He has. When we got together, WWE had just the belt on him. He was WWE champion, dad. He told Stephanie that he wasn't going to sacrifice me for his belt. So yes, he'd give up his career for me."

Just then, Doctor Shamrock came up to us. I didn't have to read her face to see that she was optimistic. She was exuding emotion, and that was something amazing. I introduced her to my dad, and after that, she began talking.

"The brain damage isn't as severe as we thought. He's going to be able to talk and walk. His left side is paralyzed for now. Though obviously it's temporary. We are going to take him off a couple of the machines. You can go back in. He should be coming out of this. It may take days, it may take minutes, it may take minutes."

And she walked away. My dad hugged me and so did Gail and Cody. I sent them away to update everyone who'd been in and out. I walked into the room and sat back in the chair I had vacated. I took Johnny's hand and whispered in his ear.

"Johnny, it's Teddy. If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

And then I felt the slightest bit of pressure on my hand. I wanted to cry. At that point, I think I'd started crying. I whispered into his ear some more and smiled when I got reactions. I knew the one thing that would get him to react. So I started singing….

**John's POV**

Oh my god, I remember this. He started singing to me. He was singing our song. 'Your Song' by Elton John. I could hear him. I wanted to open my eyes. I willed myself to open my eyes. I had to. I needed to look at his face. I needed to know where I was. And then suddenly, like something had willed me to open my eyes, I did. I opened my eyes. I looked around. I was in a hospital room, that much was certain. Then I looked over. There was my Teddy. He looked agonized. I squeezed his hand again, and looked towards the doorway. His dad was standing there looking at me. I knew he could see my eyes were open. He started in the doorway, and immediately called out to Teddy.

"Son."

He looked up to his dad. His dad nodded in my direction and then Ted looked back at me. He knew. He looked at me, afraid to hope. I knew that he wanted so badly to hope. I wanted him to hope. He still had my hand, so I squeezed it and tried nodding. I gave a curt shake and he giggled.

"Johnny!"

He said, breathing a sigh of relief. He stroked my hair. I felt that. I felt his hands in my hair. Though my hair didn't feel as clean as I wanted it to. He pushed the nurse call button, and I heard a voice crackle through the speakers.

"Yes?"

"This is room 1120. Mr. Hennigan's awake. Can you send in Doctor Shamrock?"

"Will do, Mr. DiBiase."

"Thank you."

He said. I watched him. I tried to talk, but he shook his head. I must've had a tube in my throat or something. He was holding my hand when the doctor came in. The doctor checked everything. Did a complete assessment too, I'm proud to say. She looked at Ted and smiled.

"Everything checks out, Ted. He's awake. And alert. Mr. Hennigan?"

I nodded at her curtly again. It was the only thing that I could do. She took that as a positive sign, and continued on.

"Mr. Hennigan. I'm Doctor Candice Shamrock. You're in Tampa Baptist Hospital. You were in a head on collision in your car. You've been in a coma for three days. You have a tube in your throat and I'm going to take it out…if you feel the need to gag, while I'm doing it, don't…just be careful."

I nodded. Teddy was whispering in my ear. I was going to focus on Teddy whispering in my ear while the doctor took the tube out. I gasped for air, and realized that I didn't have to. I coughed once and looked at Teddy.

"That…sucked."

I said. My voice sounded like a fifty year old chain smoker. Teddy laughed and stood up to kiss my forehead. I smiled. I liked that. I had to tell him the one thing he needed to hear. And in front of all of these people too.

"I…love…you."

I said, watching him smile. He smiled, and then he cried. I needed that. I needed him to reaffirm his love for me too. That's what made it good. He leaned down and whispered in my ear.

"I love you too, Johnny."

He said squeezing my hand. And it was like life just happened all over again.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**John's POV**

Okay, so I had to spend two extra days in the hospital under observation. Teddy stayed with me all that time. I looked at him everyday and realized that he was a mess. I'm sure he had tons of stuff to do at home and on the road. He was looking through my medical charts when I cleared my throat. He looked up at me and smiled.

"Teddy…"

"Uh-oh."

He said, looking at me. I couldn't help but to laugh at him. He knew that he was in trouble. Even if he didn't do anything wrong. He put the clipboard on the end of the bed. He sat back down in the chair and eyed me.

"Teddy, how long have you been here?"

"Five days."

"Aren't you going to go home?"

"Sure. When you do."

"No…I don't mean that. I mean don't you have something to do?"

"Sure. I've gotta get Riggs and Palace from the kennel. I've also rearranged a couple of appearances. I've got another meeting with WWE Canada and then I've gotta do laundry."

I grinned. He was putting too much on the line. He kept putting things off to stay with me. I knew I wasn't going to win this argument, so I dropped it for a later date. I smiled and watched him. It was then I got the idea.

"Teddy?"

"Yes John?"

"What would you say to expanding our family?"

Ted threw his head back. He looked at me like I had been drinking. I hadn't been. And I was pretty sure that I wasn't doped up. Any medication that had been in my body was completely gone, and so I was sure of that. Ted didn't know what I meant, and I was quite angry that I'd have to explain it to him.

"Expanding how, like another dog?"

"No. I mean as a kid. Like, we should have a baby."

"Dude, we're men. How can we have a baby."

I loved him, but sometimes he could be so dense. I had to do everything. I struggled to turn and look at him. I waved him off when he tried to help. I turned and winced in pain. It was hard for me to not be able to get up and walk over and touch him. I knew what I was talking about. I'd researched it a lot after we got married. It was something that I was interested in. We'd talked about it, briefly. But it was just that, briefly.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe we could hire one of our friends to carry a baby."

Ted was mind boggled. I could tell that he hadn't been thinking about babies. I knew that he'd wanted one. At least that's what he told me. He stood up out of the chair, walked over to my bedside and helped turn me to lay on my back. Then he sat down on the bed and took my hand.

"Johnny…I thought we'd agreed we were going to wait."

"Teddy. I've been through a lot. I've just spent three days in a coma. I've got several weeks of physical therapy ahead of me. And I want something to look forward to when I'm done with PT. A baby would be an amazing thing. Come on Teddy, what do you say?"

I had Teddy. Teddy had his head in his hands. It was like he couldn't believe that we were rehashing this subject again. He shook his head, and then he pulled his head up.

"Johnny…I think. I think, we're gonna have a baby. Now you do know that we'll have to move. Because Florida explicitly prohibits homosexual adopting or surrogacy."

"So, we'll move."

Ted couldn't believe it. We had been talking about kids. It was scaring him a little, and I could tell. I wrapped my free arm around him and watched as he lay down in the bed with me.

"We'll move to New Hampshire where it's okay to have a surrogate mother. And where it's okay to adopt and have surrogates. And, we'll live happily."

And I knew that somehow we'd be okay. But first, we had a few obstacles to overcome, and it wasn't going to be easy.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

**Ted's POV**

Babies. We have Riggs and Palace. And now he wants a baby. Am I terrified? Fuck yes, I'm terrified! A baby is a big step. I looked at him and sighed. I could lie to him about the baby thing. I want to have a baby with him, yes. But do we have to move? I mean, Florida is my home. Has been since I was 20 years old. I can't just pick up and leave. And that's where it's a catch 22. Because I'd walk through hellfire and brimstone for that man. So why am I having such a hard time with it? Because I'd have to uproot my life to go somewhere where laws are accessible to me. I watched as John fell back asleep, then I went into the hallway. Our two best friends were there. That's right, you guessed it, Cody and Gail. I wanted to talk to them, and get their opinion.

"Guys. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure dude, shoot."

Cody said. I sat down next to them and looked up at them. I bet that they never had this problem before. Of course not, because they were a heterosexual couple. They'd never have any problems like ours.

"John said that he wants to have a baby."

Cody and Gail smiled. They started planning and plotting different things. I held up my hand and sighed. They immediately stopped. They could tell something was wrong, so I let them speculate.

"Is something wrong with that?"

Gail asked. I shook my head. I didn't know how to tell them, but then I just kinda started talking and couldn't shut up.

"I love Johnny. More than my whole life. I do. And I'd be glad to have a baby with him. But you know, Florida doesn't allow homosexuals to adopt. So we'd have to pick up and move. New Hampshire has no laws against us adopting. Or even having a surrogate mother. I don't know though. I don't want to leave Florida, you know? Florida's been my home since I was twenty years old. And now, he wants to do this? I don't know if I can."

Cody spoke up then. And when he said what he was going to say, I was bowled over. For being twenty-three, Cody is smarter than anyone gives him credit for.

"Dude, John's just been through a life-altering experience. Of course him telling you he wants a baby is going to freak you out. You two just got married, of course it's scary. And it feels like shit's coming at you from all angles. But roll with it. Just go with it. He loves you. You love him. Just do it. It's time for a change from all the politics and just do something nobody would expect. Linda's been good about giving you the LoA you wanted. Just stay off the road. Stay home with your husband. Think seriously about having a baby. But most importantly, don't worry about what anyone else thinks."

I was blown away by Cody's assessment of life. For a kid who still plays with G.I. Joes, he's got an amazing perspective of life. I patted him on the shoulder and walked down the hallway some more. I thought about what Cody told me, and I realized that he was right. I shouldn't care what anyone thinks. And I don't. I don't care if they hate me. I was more worried about the move because I'm so used to being closer to my friends, but in the long run, my friends weren't as important as my marriage. And a baby would bring us that much closer. And I didn't realize that until just this moment. I turned around and walked into the room so when John woke up, I'd be there. I walked into the bedroom and saw that his mom was there. And he was awake talking to her.

"Mama…you won't believe it. We're having a baby!"

And at that point, I knew it was true. I wanted to be part of his excitement. I went and sat down on the end of his bed. She looked at us, and I nodded. She got really excited and happy. I suddenly felt the same happiness that she did.

"When? When?"

"We don't know yet. We just started talking about it. We're doing the surrogate route. We've got to move, because Florida doesn't allow same sex couples to adopt. So, we've got to move to New Hampshire."

"New Hampshire? Why? LA isn't immune to same sex couples adopting. They don't like it, but they allow it."

This was always a sore point with me. I hated Los Angeles. Always have, and I wouldn't move there for all the money in the world. But Johnny was from LA, and he seemed to love it there. But I did love the beach, so that was always a thing with me. Surfing relaxed me, and I hadn't done it in a while. The beaches in Tampa were weak, because the waves weren't good.

"Ma, Teddy hates LA."

"So? Move out. Live on the beach with us."

Part of the reason I didn't like John's mom, was that statement right there. She was so attached to Johnny that she wanted to step in between things, and end our relationship. John shot her a look that silenced her and she sighed. She kissed his forehead and hugged me then walked out.

"I'm sorry honey, she didn't mean that."

"No. It's fine. I just hate LA. I didn't say I was opposed to California."

He looked at me like I had four heads. I didn't think that he'd believe that we'd move to California. I've always liked California, just not LA. I had a bad experience in LA once, when I was 20 and I didn't want to relive it.

"So Mr. DiBiase, where in California do you want to live?"

"I was thinking San Francisco. I mean it's only a two hour drive from San Francisco to LA. Especially if you wanna see your mom."

I liked it. I needed to get away from Florida. Away from all the wrestlers that lived in a big crescent moon shape. I needed to get as far away from Mississippi and my family as possible. It was time to start living my life, and I was going to do that with my husband and our dog and cat. And the surrogate mother to our baby, whoever that might be.

"Johnny…how would you feel if we asked Mickie to be the surrogate mother?"

John looked at me like he was thinking about it. He thought for a few minutes then handed me his cell phone. I knew Mickie's number by heart. I punched it in and listened while it rang. It rang and then suddenly, Mickie answered.

"Hello?"

"Mickie, it's-"

"Teddy! Oh my god! I was getting ready to Tweet you and Johnny much congratulations!"

"Thanks Mick, that means a lot. Listen, to the reason I called. Johnny and I have been kicking around an idea, and we wanna know what you think."

"Okay…shoot."

John took the phone from me and made some small talk, before getting to the crux of things. I giggled while watching him. Yes, I giggled. I'm man enough to say when I've giggled, and dammit, I giggled.

"Okay, so Mick," John said, continuing on. "Teddy and I were wondering if you'd move out to LA with us. We know that you've got the CD and everything, but we wanna know if you'd be our surrogate."

There was silence on the end of the line. We waited for awhile until Mickie's thoughts came through.

"Your surrogate. Like…you want me to have a baby?"

"Yes…well, just carry it."

"Yes. Absolutely!"

Mickie squealed. We celebrated happily with her over the phone, and made sure that she knew that we wouldn't be making any decisions until we tied up loose ends. After we hung up, I lay down in the bed with Johnny and we talked. About our hopes. Our fears. Our life. Our love. And the subsequent move to San Francisco. But first, we had a few loose ends to tie up…


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**John's POV**

This moving thing wasn't going to be easy. Not at all. We had to tell our families. They were both very supportive. It was the company that wasn't. We were moving into a great house that Ted had left to fly out and see with Mickie. We'd come up with the fact that Mickie was going to move with us. It was a time where I started physical therapy, and I didn't want him to see me in pain. I was crying out in pain when Mickie and Ted came back into the room. They'd just gotten here when I started walking.

"I give up."

Then suddenly, Ted walked over to me and pushed my back straight. He held onto my waist and looked at me. He shook his head. I know what he was trying to do. He was trying to motivate me.

"No way, Jose. Try again."

"Dammit Ted, I've been doing this for forty five minutes."

"No, you've been doing arm exercises for forty five minutes. Try again."

"Fuck you Ted."

"Gladly, just not right now. Now, try it again."

And I moved one leg in front of the other. I walked two steps before I slouched over. Ted shook his head and stood me back up. He rubbed my back and whispered in my ear. He was motivating me to walk a little more. I didn't want too, but he pushed me to do it again.

"Having your husband here is working wonders huh?"

The physical therapist said. I nodded, knowing that it was helping. I walked a few more steps and stopped. Collapsing in a nearby chair. I was sweating pretty bad. It wasn't good, but suddenly I felt a tingling I hadn't felt in awhile.

"Good job baby!"

Ted said, coming to me and hugging me. I was more focused on the tingling in my leg. I wasn't going to worry Ted about it now, I was going to ask him about the house, and that was exactly my plan.

"So, how's the house?"

"Exquisite! It's got shutters and windows! And doors…and bricks and windows! And four spacious bedrooms. And we're in a very gay friendly neighborhood. And the neighbors all thought Mickie and I were husband and wife. We set them straight. Luckily, a couple there were HUGE fans and said that they thought you were gay."

The good thing about living in a very gay friendly area, like San Francisco, is that wrestling fans were scattered everywhere. It was good to not have any judgments against us in the area. Ted knelt down and put his hand on my knee, and I felt that. I hadn't felt anything in my legs in the two weeks I'd been here in the hospital and that had to be a good thing. I gasped and the PT tech and Ted and Mickie looked at me.

"What?"

Ted said. I knew he was just concerned, but there was something more to the look on his face, like he was hurting me, just by touching me. He was going to pull his hand away, when I started moving it up my thigh, just to see what he'd do. I also wanted to see if this sensation wasn't just something I was imagining. He started to let his hand drift closer, but I wasn't having that.

"No…Teddy. I felt your hand."

Ted looked up at me and gasped with me. I wanted to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I added Katie's hand and made sure. I had feeling in my leg. Katie smiled, and Ted hugged me from behind. This was good. I had an incentive to walk again. My career, the baby, Ted. The move. Everything. I knew Teddy would support me in this, and I didn't want to jinx it.

"You felt this?"

I nodded, struggling to stand up. I wanted to walk some more. I wanted to push further to get my legs to work. Ted shook his head at me. Now I knew what he was doing. He didn't want me to get burned out, when not more than two minutes ago he was pushing me to do better.

"No you don't."

"You just told me two minutes ago that you wanted me to walk."

"Yes. Because you hadn't started walking yet. Now, I don't want you to burn out honey. Just relax."

"Fuck relaxing. I've got way too much to at stake to relax. So, I am going to do this again."

I said, struggling to stand up. Ted knew that I was going to try and do this again, so he sighed and helped me stand. He held onto my waist again as I put one foot in front of the other. I was getting better at the walking. But I was starting to get exhausted. I made it to the bed and lay down. Ted kissed my head and escorted Katie out. He came back in a little while later and sat down.

"Are you kidding me, Johnny? Really? I told you to take it easy. You pushing yourself this hard isn't healthy! Honey, you've got too much to look forward to."

"That's why I'm doing this, Ted! Because I have so much to look forward to. The baby, the house, work."

"I don't give a fuck about work, Johnny. And neither should you. Just worry about work when you're at a hundred percent. Let Mickie and I handle everything. There isn't anything you should worry about?"

"Ted, you don't get it. I want to be better for you. I don't want you to have an invalid for a husband."

I said, anguish coloring my voice. Ted realized what I meant and knelt down to look at me. I'd turned my head away from him. He pulled my face towards him and kissed my lips softly. I moaned loudly, because lets face it, Teddy's an amazing kisser. He put his forehead on mine and looked at me.

"You're not an invalid. I've known you for six years, and you're the most stubborn guy I've met. Let me tell you something, Johnny okay? You're going to work hard at this. You're going to be the John Hennigan I fell in love with, yes. But, it isn't the end of the world if it's months and months and months of rehab. We can still have a baby. While we were in San Francisco, Mickie and I went to the fertility specialists! They have a vial of my…sperm. They need some of yours, and they've got Mickie's eggs. All they're waiting on is your vial. They're not going to do anything until you get better. So, take your time. And we'll do this."

And that, right there was going to make me recover. I knew that pushing myself into this recovery would be worth it. It wasn't like it was that big of a deal to me, like having the baby was. It was then Ted's phone rang. He answered it, and I watched as he spoke in a hushed tone and as his forehead creased.

"No…no…no this can't be good. Are you sure?"

He waited, and then he spoke again. From what I heard, WWE wasn't happy about him missing all the road time.

"No! Oh god, you're fucking kidding me! Who spearheaded this campaign? Stephanie, right…well you tell Stephanie that she can suspend me when I've done something wrong. And also that her court case is still pending, and if she contacts me again, I will call the judge."

He said, slamming the phone down. I knew he was taking all kinds of hell, so I was going to do the one thing that I could do…I was gonna send him back on the road. No matter how much it hurt me.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**Ted's POV**

Stephanie wanted to suspend me. I told her to suspend me if I've done something wrong, but not because she was pissed at me for bringing a lawsuit against her. I was headed to get my laundry done, because John was sleeping after a long session of physical therapy. I knew I had time to get out and back because he'd wake up, and freak if he found me gone too long. So, as I made it to the house, I saw Randy Orton's yellow Hummer 3 sitting in my driveway. I got out of the car, and walked up to the SUV to see him sitting there. I knocked on the window and watched as he rolled it down.

"Randy, what's up dude?"

I asked, extending my hand to shake it. He shook my hand then climbed out of the car. I walked with my back facing the neighbor's house, so I could see whether or not Randy would attack me. I unlocked the door and walked in. I knew what I had to do, and yet, I was still confused. Randy and I were not what you would call, friendly but we were aware of each other. Plus I still hadn't forgiven him for kidnapping Johnny.

"I'm here to apologize man."

"Apologize for what? Kidnapping Johnny? Yeah, you better damn well apologize. Because, you know what? You have no reason to be here. None. And if I find you here again, I'm going to call the police. Now, what's the real reason Randy? Are you doing this on behalf of Stephanie? Are you here to take me out too?"

"No, now why would I do that? I have not had any reason to come after you. And as for your question about doing this for Stephanie, I'm not working for Stephanie."

"If I turn my back, are you going to jump me?"

"No. I'm not going to jump you. I want to know how you do it."

"Do what?"

"Maintain a sexual relationship with a man?"

"I am not discussing my relationship with John with you, Randy."

I didn't know what he was thinking. I wasn't about to have coffee with Randy and discuss my relationship with him. I sat down on the sofa and offered him a seat in the recliner. He sat down with me, and that's when he opened up to me.

"Ted, I don't know why I'm here. I just got in the car and drove. I felt horrible. I felt horrible that I jumped John. And kidnapped him. Stephanie offered me money to do it, so I did. It's been hard for me since Jill left. She sued me for alienation of affection and got all my money. I've been paying lawyers fees out my ass to make up for everything. Stephanie is crazy, Ted. When she wants something bad enough, she goes after it. This isn't about you…it's about John. She wanted John to be the father of her kid. She knew going into this whole crazy thing that John was who she wanted to have the affair with. That's why she put the belt on him. Because if she put the belt on him, who was going to offer him guidance? But her. I know you don't believe me when I tell you this, but honestly, I've got the proof."

He said, pulling a tape recorder out of his pocket and pressing play. I listened as Stephanie's voice came through my living room. And just hearing it made me angry. Randy and I listened in silence.

"_I need you to take Ted DiBiase out of the picture, Randy."_

"_How?"_

"_John Hennigan is the WWE Champion. And he is in a relationship with John Hennigan. We need to eliminate them."_

"_Good for Ted for finally making the move. I'm happy for him and John."_

"_You knew about this?"_

"_Sure. I am a close confidante of Ted, Stephanie. Besides…how could you not? The way they look at each other."_

_This was true. Once upon a time, Randy and I were thick as thieves. We did everything together. Legacy was his idea, and he asked me to be part of it. I said yes. I think coming up together made us close. Then this whole thing with him attacking John ripped us apart._

"_That's just disgusting. I swear to god Randy, I'll give you five hundred thousand dollars to do this for me. I know you need the money."_

"_Money or no, I won't do it."_

"_Fine, then I'll call Jillian in here and we'll find out what really happened that night she got beat up."_

"_Fine! Fine! I'll do it!"_

He said, and I realized he'd sounded angry. Everyone knew that Randy and Jillian had been off and on for four years. Then they'd had a fight and it'd gotten violent. I was with Randy and Jillian that night. I pushed stopped and looked at him. I had no choice but to believe him. He was feeling bad about things, and I could tell. He looked up at me with anguished eyes and frowned.

"I couldn't say no. I needed that five hundred thousand. I paid off my lawyer's fees then did what Stephanie said. Shawn did the same thing. I came here today, to apologize. And if it's all the same to you, I want to tell you that I am happy that so many good things are happening to you. I want that to continue. And, if it's okay with you, I'd like to apologize to John too."

I nodded. It was the least I could do. He came here and poured his heart out to me. I nodded at him and went to put my laundry in the washing machine. I led him out of the house, and watched as he followed me into the parking lot of Tampa Baptist Hospital. He followed me up to John's room. I had him wait out in the hallway until I gave John the head's up. I walked into the room and smiled when I saw him sitting up in the bed.

"Honey, I have something I have to ask you. And I know that it may or may not be the best thing for you, but uhm, Randy's outside…and he wants to apologize. Now, realize that I didn't call him, so he has proof that he wasn't all that bad to begin with. He's outside…can he come in to see you?"

**John's POV**

"Randy Orton didn't attack me. He didn't run me over with a car. He didn't hurt me. He did another person's bidding. I will hear what he has to say."

I said, shocking him. I didn't know if he was going to beat the hell out of me, or hug me, but I was surprised when he came into the hospital room. He looked dejected and sad, and that's surprising. Though when he did have me locked up he kept apologizing.

"Hey John."

"Hey Randy, what's up?"

I said, extending my hand. He took it and shook it slowly. He'd only heard what had happened, he hadn't seen it first hand, and I knew that he was afraid to put his hand on the bed. I patted his arm and smiled softly at him.

"It's okay, you can un-stiffen your body. I was worse two weeks ago. So, what's up man?"

"Nothing…listen, I just want to say how sorry I am. Sorry for kidnapping you. I am so happy about all of the good things that you and Ted are going through. I wish you nothing but good luck. Stephanie had something on me, and I did her bidding, because I needed the money. So, I did what she asked of me. And I need you to know that I've been nothing but supportive you and he."

"I know."

I know he meant it. He looked like he was scared out of his mind. I don't know what he was going through, I didn't want to know. I just wanted this whole thing to be over. The more people we have on our side, the better off we are. And I shook his hand.

"Randy…thank you for coming forward with this. I appreciate it. Now, if you'll excuse me, Ted and I need a few minutes alone. You can come back anytime…feel free."

"Thanks. I will."

He said, shaking our hands and walking out. It was good that we all had closure. And it was going to be even better once we got news from the doctor. But things were going to get worse, before they got better…


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

**Ted's POV**

Things were looking up. Randy, John and I were hanging out together at the hospital together just talking, playing board games and relaxing. I looked at John and Randy they were playing on the Playstation 3. We were in the common room and they were tag teaming these two kids about the age of eight. It was pretty cool to see. Once the kids schooled them and left, I threw the magazine on the table.

"That's it! Let's go outside!"

"Calm down dude. I was going to say that."

Randy said, getting John's wheelchair. I helped John into it and Randy pushed him to the elevator. Something had felt weird today. I woke up at home, and had a feeling that something was seriously wrong. I didn't tell anyone about my fear, but how could I? I pushed John around in the chair, while Randy stayed with us, we all talked but then Randy looked at his watch.

"Shit. I'm late. I've gotta go guys. I've got a plane to catch. My sister's getting married."

"Congratulations, man!"

John said. He gave him five and we watched him walk away. It was just John and I now. I needed to tell him why I was so detached today, because he'd been very observant.

"Stop."

He said. Luckily for me, there was a bench where I stopped. I sat down and wheeled him closer to me. He was on to me. He knew something was wrong with me, and I didn't know how. But hey, it must be because we're so in tune with each other. I tried looking away and he shook his head.

"No. Look at me, Theodore."

I knew he meant business when he called me Theodore. My own dad didn't even call me Theodore unless I was in trouble. I knew that what was on my mind was going to scare him. He wouldn't want me to go anywhere alone, but I knew that this was going to be something I couldn't avoid.

"What?"

"You're a little off today, kiddo. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Have I mentioned you're a bad liar? Try again."

"Johnny…I woke up this morning and had a feeling like something wasn't going to go right with me today. So far, so good. But the day is still young my love."

"You are incredible, you know that?"

"Yes love, I do thank you. Now…I saw that the pretty nurses were giving away free ice cream to people in the cafeteria. Want some?"

Johnny nodded and I pushed him back inside. We were headed to the cafeteria when something fishy was going on. We looked at the people gathered around a table. Through one of the people in the crowd, I saw who it was. I gasped. I didn't want Johnny to get too suspicious so I wheeled him to get the ice cream. I was trying to make it past his table without him seeing me, to no avail. That's when I heard the voice call out to me.

"Ted! Johnny! So good to see you again."

Paul Levesque said, standing up. He walked over to us and smiled. He shook John's hand and then shook mine as well. I didn't like the look in his eyes. It was like he was bitter about something, and I couldn't tell what. I needed to diffuse this situation before it got worse that it should be.

"Yeah dude, good seeing you too."

"What're you doing here?"

"Your wife ran over my husband."

I said, knowing that he would be pissed about that comment. It worked. His eyes glassed over, and I knew that I'd hit a nerve. He growled at me, and Johnny reached up to pat my hand.

"Down boy. Paul listen, I don't want to start any trouble. I don't know why you're here, and I don't care. But please don't complicate my recovery any further."

"Oh no John, of course I wouldn't. I just wanted to make sure that you were okay. Everyone has been in and out of your room, except Stephanie and I. We just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Fuck you, Paul. And fuck your whore of a wife too. Now, get out."

And I pushed him towards the ice cream bar. I needed to unwind, and ice cream would be the way to do it. John could tell that I was still tense. We walked back up to his room and he looked at me.

"What was that about?"

"He was provoking me, John! What was I going to do?"

"Ignore him. That's what I was planning to do. That Stephanie comment was low, Ted, and you know that."

"No. It wasn't. It was just fine. So, the doctor said you can go home tomorrow, are you stoked?"

"Yes. Oh, by the way, I gave Mickie my sperm today. She took it to the fertility clinic. So, they're going to merge our sperm and implant the egg."

"Good. This is so surreal, Johnny. We're gonna have a baby."

I said, smiling. This was seriously going to be good. We were gonna have the dog, and the cat, and a baby. This makes me happy. But I had one question for Johnny, and it needed to be addressed.

"What are we gonna call the baby?"

"I was hoping we'd give it a name love."

"No, I know that…but technically who's last name is it going to have? Yours or mine?"

"Well…I was thinking maybe she or he could have yours. And then we'd decide the name of the baby."

And I smiled. I knew that we were going to have fun discussing the baby names. I had even bought a baby name book. I looked at my watch and sighed. I had to go because I had to pick up Riggs from the groomer. And then I had some paperwork to fill out for the house. So, I figured I'd cut out early and let Johnny get some sleep. So, I kissed him, told him I loved him and I'd be there to pick him up tomorrow. I was headed towards my car in the parking garage when I was jumped from behind.

"That's from me! This one's for Stephanie, and this one is for everyone who you fucked over. Stephanie doesn't deserve your hatred…you're the person making life miserable for everyone else! Get out of WWE, now…if you know what's best for you."

Paul said, leaving me bleeding and bruised on the floor of the parking garage.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

**John's POV**

I was laying in bed watching a rerun of Jeopardy from like 1975 when the nurse came flying into my hospital room. I looked at her and right away something was wrong. I wasn't weak by any standards, not anymore, anyway. I sat up and threw my feet over the edge of the bed. I could walk by myself, and my chair wasn't that far away, so I walked to my chair and sat down. I knew that something was going wrong, but I wasn't sure what. I wheeled myself into the hallway, and saw Teddy. Teddy was laying on a stretcher. He wasn't stiff, he just looked like he was in massive amounts of pain. Something bad had happened…and I didn't know what but I was going to make someone pay. I wheeled over to the stretcher and shook him.

"Teddy? Honey…baby it's me."

"Johnny?"

"It's me."

"Baby!" Ted said, struggling to sit up. I tried pushing him to lay back down, but it didn't work. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Me? I'm not worried about me at the moment. What happened to you?"

"I was in the parking garage trying to walk to my car, when I was jumped from behind by Paul Levesque. I swear, those McMahon's have it out for us."

I couldn't believe this. It seemed like it was coming at us from all directions lately, and I wanted to hurt the person hurting us. But I couldn't because she was a woman. Teddy by this time was at a full sit up, and he had his head in his hands. I knew what he was doing, and it didn't help to point out that he was indeed crying. I just held him as best as I could from the vantage point that I had.

"Teddy, you listen to me, okay? There isn't anything else in this world that matters. Let the McMahon's have their stupid pity party, okay. We don't have to be involved in that. We've got the house to decorate."

Just then Ted smiled. He'd been thinking about something and I could tell that. He reached out to stroke my face.

"What do you think of the names of Melissa Ashli or Daniel John?"

And right away, I knew he was smitten. He was already choosing baby names and we hadn't even known whether or not Mickie was pregnant. But I did like the name Melissa. Melissa Ashli. I don't know how much I liked the Ashli.

"I'm not feeling Ashli. I dated an Ashli once. Drama Queen she was. Why not Elisabeth?"

"Ewww…that's Ali's middle name, remember? Try a different one."

I thought long and hard about it. I had a friend once who had the prettiest name ever. And I kept telling her that, but she shook her head and blushed. That's when he had it, and he knew it.

"Dawn."

"Dawn? Dawn what?"

"Dawn for the middle name of Melissa. Melissa Dawn DiBiase. That just rolls right off the tongue."

And I had to admit, it did! It fit our personalities perfectly. It was just beautiful enough to make me want to cry, and I didn't. I watched as his face lit up, just thinking of the name. He grinned and then leaned forward to hug me. It was the best thing in the world.

"Melissa Dawn DiBiase is the most beautiful name I think I've ever heard. And I love you for thinking it."

Just then, the doctor came around the corner and saw Ted and I in an embrace and waited until we pulled away. Doctor Shamrock had been good about our PDA's and she hadn't remarked no matter what her beliefs were. She smiled and looked at the cut on Ted's forehead after we pulled apart. I held his hand and smiled.

"Well, Mr. DiBiase, it seems like the cut on your forehead isn't as bad as we thought. We're going to treat and release you. We're also going to release John. So if you want to take him home with you, come with me."

I was shocked. I was going home tonight. I wheeled myself back into the room and started packing up my belongings. I was so excited I couldn't contain it. Almost a month of being in this place, and I was starting to go crazy. I think I've watched every episode of Jeopardy from 1975 enough. Ted came back in and he was carrying a clipboard of papers and was signing away. He looked at me and grinned.

"Going home."

"I know…god, I'm so excited. I've watched enough Jeopardy to last me the next twenty years. Promise me when we're old and gray we won't watch it."

"Promise. Okay, ready?"

I nodded. They'd promised to bring Ted's car around from the parking garage, because they didn't want him walking around outside by himself. So, we handed the clipboard back to the people, and he wheeled me out to the car. He helped me in, and it felt weird. It felt weird being in a car again, after so many weeks of not being in one.

"You okay?"

Teddy kept asking me on the way home. It wasn't that far from TBH to the house, but he still wanted to make sure I wasn't going to flip out or something. I knew I was okay on this side, the passenger side. I'm sure once I got in the car to drive again, I'd probably have a panic attack and not be able to handle it.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm okay. I'm good on this side. It's that side I'm a little worried about. I'm exhausted. I wanna go lay in our bed."

"Our bed. I do love how that sounds."

"Me too."

"And now Johnny, after a month of torture, I get to say it…welcome home."

Home. The place I wanted to be most in this entire world. I didn't know just how amazing that sounded until I actually heard it. I waited until Teddy pulled into the driveway and stopped the car that I opened the door. I stepped out of the car and pulled myself up. He came around after getting my bags out of the trunk and went to help me, but I waved it off.

"No…I can do it. I need to try."

I said, knowing that he was stubborn, and I was too. But I was going to walk into my house if it too my last damn breath. I walked towards the stairs, with Teddy hovering close by, and smiled. I was glad he'd installed the railing two weeks ago, because I wasn't sure that I had enough in me to climb those stairs to get into the house. I made it up and then he unlocked the door. I opened it and walked into the living room. Riggs was standing there happily, and Palace was on top of the TV stand, looking down at me. In my familiar surroundings I broke down. Teddy led me to the sofa and helped me sit. He held me as I cried.

"Welcome home Johnny."

Riggs, Palace and Teddy…home. I liked it.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

**Ted's POV**

**Couple months later**

Welcome to wonderful San Francisco, California. It's perpetually sunny all the time and it hardly ever rains. Did I mention we're pregnant? Well, not me or John, but Mickie. We found out that the insemination took the first time, and that made us super excited. We needed the change from Tampa, and we figured since Mickie was pregnant, that now was a good a time as any to make the move. John sat in the house on the sofa and looked around the place.

"Teddy, this place really is beautiful."

"I know. Mickie is amazing at decorating, isn't she?"

"She is."

John said, standing up. He wasn't at one hundred percent, but he was able to walk longer distances without getting tired. Which was good, because my shoulders were killing me from carrying him. Well, not carrying him, but leading him around. I watched as he'd headed towards the kitchen. I was sitting at my desk by the big bay window when I heard a loud crash in the kitchen.

"Shit!"

I heard Johnny yell. I got up from the desk and dashed quickly into the kitchen. Mickie was there with him, trying to help him up. I waved Mickie off, and watched as she stepped back into the corner. I walked over to him and tried helping him.

"Take your hands off me, Ted."

He said in a voice as cold as venom. I froze like I'd been electrocuted. He'd never spoken to me like that before, and I didn't know how to react to that. Mickie looked shocked as well. It was the same thing to her. We'd always been so close and happy that I didn't know what was going on. I walked into the living room and sat at my desk. I was looking out the window. I heard him come in, but I didn't acknowledge him. He sat down on the desk right next to my shoulder.

"Teddy."

I didn't say anything. I didn't even look at him, because I was so sad. How could he speak to me that way? He took my hand and held it, stroking it softly. He was trying to get my attention, but I wouldn't look at him. He shattered my heart when he spoke to me that way, and I couldn't believe it.

"Teddy, are you going to look at me?"

"No, I'm not."

"I guess I deserve that."

"You guess? You guess? Of course you deserve it, John."

He didn't think he did. I'm sure he knew that he hurt me, but I'm not sure if it registered with him. I tried fighting back the tears that were threatening to spill over, but couldn't hide them anymore. I turned to him and he covered his mouth to hide his horror at me crying.

"Teddy, I'm sorry…I was reacting."

"Reacting? Johnny, you pushed me away. In this whole time that we've been together, you've never once pushed me away! Never! And now you did. That was the first time."

"And I swear to God it's the last time. Teddy, look at where I'm coming from with this. I'm still recovering. I reached up to get a glass out of the cabinet, and I lost my footing. I was covered in glass. How do you think I felt about that?"

"I know…and I'm sorry, but look at how that looked to me, John. It was like you didn't want me to touch you. It was like…."

And I let my thought trail off. I didn't want to finish it, because it was too heinous to even think of. I couldn't bear to think of him that way. But I couldn't help it. I couldn't help but to think it.

"Like what?"

"Like….you were disgusted with me."

He looked at me and just frowned. He couldn't believe I'd think that. He couldn't think at all. He just looked at me, and then he forced himself into my lap. He took my face into his hands and looked at me.

"I could never, ever be disgusted with you, Teddy. I needed to see if I could get up by myself. I didn't want your help. I wanted to use what upper body strength I had, to see if I could do it. Teddy, I love you. I have loved you, and I always will. And please, don't take it personally Teddy."

I nodded, but I couldn't shake it off. No matter how much he told me not to take it personally. I kissed his head and smiled at him, to show him that I was okay. He got out of my lap, and walked over to the window and pulled a candle out of the window. He smiled at it, and then grabbed a lighter off the fireplace.

"This was the birthday candle."

"Birthday? God, did I forget your birthday?"

"No. But you did buy this for me. It was at the mall and it was one of those first times that we were together."

He said, lighting the candle. The scent of blueberry pie came wafting out of the candle. I remembered buying him that candle. It was a fluke thing, because he said he'd liked the scent of blueberries. So I bought the candle. I smiled at him, and stood up, walking towards him.

"Johnny, you know I love you, right?"

"As sure as the day is long, Teddy."

"Good. Just making sure. So, we've not really decided on a boy's name because you vetoed Daniel."

I nodded. I had a name picked out. It wasn't much, but it was something. And it was a name that was close to Johnny's heart. He hadn't known I was considering it, but I was. John's dad had been out of his life for a year. And I know that it had hurt him to not have his dad…so, I figured that I'd do it.

"Why not James?"

I shook my head. I picked up a picture of John and his dad and held it up. He shrugged like he was confused, and then I handed it to him.

"I was thinking about Ryan Anthony."

He gasped and then hugged me. His dad's name was Anthony, and he'd always loved the name Ryan. He pulled me into a hug and started crying. I knew they were good tears and he laughed.

"I knew you'd do this."

He said, and he liked it. The next couple of months were going to be hectic, with us resuming our schedules…and Mickie being in the house.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

**John's POV**

I went about it the wrong way. The whole Teddy touching me thing. I freaked out, because I didn't know what to do. I have just alienated the one person who meant more to me than anyone else in this world. Teddy's asleep on the sofa, with a bowl of popcorn in his hand, and he looks cute. But seriously though. I didn't realize how venomous that sounded until I replayed it back in my mind.

"_Take your hands off me, Ted"_

I can hear it while I'm sleeping. It was so malicious and deceitful that I couldn't even figure out why I said it that way, but it did. He wasn't an opponent, he was my husband. The man that I pledged my life to forever. The man who I was getting ready to raise a baby with. I couldn't do this. I had to take a walk. I got out of bed and grabbed my shoes. I knew that I wouldn't be able to get out of here without taking Riggs for a walk. I grabbed my cell phone, put it in my sweatpants pocket, then grabbed the leash and hooked him to it. I opened the door and watched him dash outside.

"Whoa Riggs…hold on there buddy. I don't move quite as fast as I used too."

Riggs didn't care. He kept moving fast. I had a cane in the house, I just chose not to use it. I guess I should've brought it with me. I was at a jog with him, and I felt my legs give way the moment it happened. I went right down. I cried out and Riggs stopped running. He came back to me and sat in front of the ground. I reached into my pocket and grabbed my cell, but it was dead. I didn't know what to do. I looked at Riggs and knew what to do.

"Riggs…go get daddy. Please….. John, what are you doing? For fuck's sake, he's a dog."

I said to myself…suddenly Riggs took off in the direction of the house. I didn't know what was happening, but suddenly I was in a little bit of pain. My ankle was twisted in a direction that I didn't like very much. Great, just great, Ted was going to blow a head gasket when he found out. I was preparing to crawl, when I saw Ted and Riggs walking around the corner. I was shocked he'd actually done it.

"Johnny?"

"Teddy, help me."

I said, reaching my hand out for him to pull me up. He got to me and looked my ankle. I looked at it too, knowing how much it hurt. He held onto the dog's leash and grabbed me by the armpit and hoisted me. He wrapped his arm around me.

"What the hell happened?"

"I couldn't sleep. You were asleep on the sofa, so I got up to go for a walk. Riggs needed to go out, so I grabbed his leash to get him out. He got a little ahead of me and got to running. I thought maybe I could jog with him. I lost my footing."

"Yeah, no shit. Now your fucking ankle's broken."

"Thank you for that, Ted. Can't you just be supportive?"

"Not when you're being stubborn, John. I won't do it."

He said, as we got back to the house. He led me in the direction of his car and put me in the passenger side. He was even more angry at me, and I didn't know what to do. It was a lose-lose situation with him, and every time I tried, he just ended up getting angry.

"What is your fucking problem, Ted? It's like you haven't forgiven me."

"I'm hurt, John. I won't lie. And you won't listen to me to take it easy. You want to know something? I am so angry I can't see straight. Yes, it takes me a while to get over things….I will say that! But when you go and do stupid shit like this, it makes me CRAZY!"

I dropped my jaw and gasped as he punched the car into reverse and drove me to the hospital. I couldn't believe he was telling me this. I sat and looked out the window as we got to the hospital in silence. He got out of the car in the ER parking lot, and helped me out. He did all of my paperwork and we waited until we were called, and who came walking out but Doctor Shamrock.

"John Hennigan?"

"Hi Doctor Shamrock."

"What happened?"

"I was jogging and I fell. My ankle might be broken."

Doctor Shamrock nodded, and realized that Ted was staying quiet. There's no way you couldn't notice the tension between us. It was scary, because it had never been this bad between us. Ted waited in the waiting room while Doctor Shamrock walked me back to the x-ray machines.

"Why were you jogging, John?"

"Ted and I had an argument, so, I got up out of bed to clear my head. I went to take Riggs for a walk, and he started running. We were at the jogging part of my PT, so I thought I could jog with him. But it didn't work."

"You pushed yourself too far, and now you suffered a setback, because you jogged with your dog."

"This is NOT my fault, Doctor."

"Really? Then who's fault? Can't be the dog's, and from what you're telling me, you were alone on this walk. And you cannot blame Ted."

"Why not? He's the reason I went walking."

"Well, sure cooler heads needed to prevail, but you did not need to blame him. This is all you. You are stubborn, Mr. Hennigan, and that stubbornness that you possess could potentially harm your marriage."

And I knew in a way she was right. She couldn't be any more right. It took the doctor to see it. She was very observant that doctor. She was also aware of just how much love dripped from me and Ted.

"Could my stubbornness destroy us, really?"

"Sure. But I'm just an outsider. You need to talk to him. By the way, your ankle is broken. Luckily for you, it's a clean break. So hopefully it's going to heal quickly and nicely. Go home, talk to him. If it ends up in a fight, at least you guys tried. So, yeah. Let me wrap your ankle, so you can go fix it."

And I knew she was right. It took a doctor, a fucking doctor to diagnose the problems in my marriage, but unbeknownst to me, it wouldn't be that easy…


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: The songs used in the chapter are 'Breathe' by Taylor Swift f/Collbie Calliat and 'The Search Is Over' by Survivor. Enjoy the chapter! :-D

Chapter 27

**John's POV**

So, he helped me back out to the car and we got in and drove home in silence. He got out of the car, and slammed the door. He was muttering to himself as we walked into the house. I grabbed him by the forearm and made him look at me. He shook me off and walked upstairs.

"Fuck me Ted, get back here!"

I yelled. Normally I would go up the stairs after him, but since I was on crutches and my legs weren't still a hundred percent so I wasn't going after him. I had heard that Doctor Shamrock had transferred to San Francisco. I wasn't concerned for that, but I was shocked when I saw when he actually came back down stairs. He glared at me from the foot of the stairs.

"What?"

"We need to talk."

"I don't think there's anything to talk about."

"So what, you're just going to walk away angry?"

"Yes, because it's easier than saying what I want to."

I've never known Teddy to shut down. Ever. He's never walked away from a fight and suddenly he's walking away from me? I don't get it. And the only way I knew how to open him up, was to challenge him. So, I figured to get him to talk to me, was to challenge him.

"Why don't you just fucking say it, Teddy. We both know you want to."

"Fine! You want me to? Fine, I will! You have been completely insensitive to me! You spend more time with Mickie than you do with me! You don't listen to what I say. It's like you don't care about WWE anymore. It's like you don't care about me, about us. About this baby. And I don't like that. I bust my ass to make sure we don't starve and I get no appreciation for it? Really John, really?"

"You want appreciation? Go fucking cry to your mom! You've done nothing for us, Ted. Nothing! You bought this house. You sit here with me. You negotiate merchandise. You do appearances. Have you been back out on the road since my accident? No! You think I'm so fucking incapable of doing little things. Newsflash, Teddy. It's the little things I can do. The big things I can't, not yet! Which reminds me, at least Mickie's fucking here to help me!"

"I help you!"

"No! You baby me! You want me to do this for myself? Fine, great! Show me, prove it to me, don't fucking coddle me! You want to do something for me, leave! Just go back on the road! Make a living!"

There, I'd said it. I wasn't sorry about what I said. But it had to be better then watching him do nothing. He was on the fast track to becoming US Champion, and I didn't want to jeopardize that. I loved him, and I'd miss him while he was on the road, but the separation would be good for us. He stood there holding his mouth wide open, like he was trying to catch bees.

"You want me to leave?"

"Yes. I think time apart would be good for us! Teddy, you need to go to work. Especially now with the baby coming. The money would be great."

"John! We're not broke! Not by any stretch! You just don't want me around, because it'll hinder your recovery time! You don't want me home, because you're fucking sick of me! You don't want me here, because I care too much about what happens to you! You don't want me to worry!"

"I want you to worry! But there's a difference between worrying, and smothering Teddy."

Ted went back upstairs and then came back a few minutes later. He had several bags in his hand and had his cell phone at his ear. He was talking to Stephanie to see where his next destination was. He hung up with her a little while later and looked at me. Then he walked towards me and kissed me on my forehead. It's wasn't a loving kiss, it was an obligatory kiss. You know, when you're obligated to do something. That's how it was.

"I'm going to be gone a week. I'll be back here then we're going to talk. You want some space, Johnny…fine. Space you'll have. Consider me gone."

He said, walking out of the house to his car. We were angry. He walked out. So why did it feel like he was stomping on my heart?

**Ted's POV**

"_Never wanted this. Never want to see you hurt. Every little bump in the road I tried to swerve. But people are people and sometimes it doesn't work out. Nothing we say is gonna save us from the fall out."_

Taylor Swift had it right. Clichéd, I know right? I was flipping radio stations when I heard that. But that line stood out to me. He didn't want me around. How was I supposed to react to that? And the fact that he resented me. I was just trying to help him. I'm hurt. And saddened that my marriage is falling apart. And I have no way of stopping it. I was just trying to be a good husband. Stephanie told me that I was useless to her on the road right now, because they didn't have anything for me. So, I couldn't go back on the road. But I was taking a road trip. I was going to Mississippi. I was going to see my mom. She'd always been good at piecing things together. I want to get her advice about it. I was afraid of facing my dad, because he would say I told you so, and right now quite frankly, I told you so is the last thing I needed to hear. So, as I was driving out of San Francisco into Sacremento, I heard a song on the radio. And I swear to god, the song was enough to make me turn around and head back home.

_I was living for a dream, loving for a moment_

_Taking on the world, that was just my style_

_Now I look into your eyes_

_I can see forever, the search is over_

_You were with me all the while_

And I swear to god, I was crying. I can't live without him. I don't even wanna try. We've been through so much more than this. And just a little argument about him being stubborn, and me being unable to love him unconditionally made me realize that's what I love about him. His stubbornness. His inability to say no! I finally got back home awhile later, after having turned around. I unlocked the door and opened it. I walked up the stairs and into our bedroom. He was lying there and he looked to be crying. He looked at me and started sobbing harder. I dropped my bags on the floor and climbed into bed with him.

"Teddy…I'm sorry. God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it."

"I know honey. I didn't either. Things have been so hard here."

"I love you."

"I love you too, Johnny. Forever. And tomorrow, when we wake up, we'll talk about our fight."

"Okay."

He said. I smiled at him, kissed his forehead gently, and watched him as he drifted off to sleep…then I joined him several minutes later.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

**Ted's POV**

John was up before I was this morning, which was unusual for him. I always got up and made breakfast. I walked downstairs to hear the radio, blaring. Loud. I peaked in the kitchen and Mickie was sitting at the table with her feet propped up. It was exactly three months ago today we found out that she was pregnant. Mickie was going to the doctor today so we could determine the sex of the baby. We were all going, so we could present the united front as a family. Though Mickie claimed she wanted no parts of the baby when it was born, I knew she'd be an integral part of the baby's life. I smiled at her and she grinned back.

"Your better half is awake. You two have some serious talking to do. I'm gonna go take a shower. You guys be ready in two hours."

John and I nodded. He sat a cup of coffee in front of me and a bowl of cereal. He knew that we needed to talk, so we sat down and talked. It wasn't going to be easy, but we had to talk this out first, before we could move on. And that's what sucked the most, knowing it could either escalate or it could just die.

"Teddy, I'm sorry. But everything I said last night, needed to be said."

"I know, Johnny. I know. It did. But you were pretty cruel to me."

"I know. I know, and you were pretty mean to me, too Teddy. But can I ask you something without you getting mad?"

"Sure, what?"

I asked, knowing I was going to regret this later. He has a tendency of provoking me without even knowing it. I sat there, and waited as he thought of a way to ask me without it provoking me to having a fight with him.

"Sometimes it seems to me that you can't love me enough because I'm not perfect. And I'm not calling you on it, Teddy. I promise. I just need you to realize that sometimes you can be an insensitive prick sometimes when I'm not properly dressed, or if my shoes don't match. I'm sorry I'm not perfect all the time, but I'm me. And that's all I can be."

I knew that, and sometimes yes, I could be just a little bit insensitive to him. And it was so subconscious that sometimes I didn't even realize I was doing it. I fell in love with 'just him' as he put it so eloquently. I now know how it feels to him when I call him out on his stubbornness. He thinks I have this inability to love him because of his shortcomings. Wow. It felt like my world was crumbling, and there was nothing I could do to stop the hollow feeling in my chest from caving in.

"You think I don't love you enough?"

I said in a voice that clearly wasn't mine. It sounded like someone was strangling me. I watched as John put an egg white omelet on a plate for him and hobbled over on his crutches to sit on the chair next to me. I knew he was looking at me to get a look at my expression. I tried to hide the pain in my eyes by thinking of something wonderful, but he continued on, and I knew then that this was something we needed to do.

"I think you do, in your own way. You just measure me in different ways, you know? Your motives aren't malicious or deceitful, it's just that, to me, it feels like sometimes I'm not perfect in your eyes. It seems like I just can't do it. And it gets a little bit tiring, quite frankly."

Wow Johnny, hit me lower why don't you? I couldn't believe this. He was doing this to me now? I thought we were going to talk about the fight we had last night, not continue it this morning. I sighed and pushed my cereal away from me. I didn't want to talk about this. Not right now.

"Johnny, I do not know where you're getting these ideas, but please, let me assure you that anything I do, I do not do to hurt you. I feel like you're coming at me with this, because you want to pick a fight with me today. We're finding out the sex of the baby today…and you want me to be angry? Johnny, talk about being insensitive. You're the one wanting to make things right and now you're coming at me with this?"

I was overreacting, and I knew it. But it still hurt. There wasn't anything I wanted more in this world then to be loved as unconditionally as I loved.

"I'm not coming at you, Ted. You knew you're an insensitive ass. But since you're picking the fight, let's make it a full blown fight, shall we? You've barely told me you loved me since we've gotten here. You've barely touched me at all. Is it because you…you love someone else?"

And there it was. The twenty-five million dollar question. The question I'm sure he'd been dying to ask me. He was suddenly sad, like a little puppy. His eyes shifted downward and his shoulders slumped. It made me sad to see. I got up, and I walked over to his chair and sat gingerly in his lap.

"Johnny, look at me."

He looked up at me, and I could see the unshed tears swimming there in his chocolate brown eyes. I pushed some hair out of his face and I kissed his face softly. I wasn't trying to get him into bed. I was trying to make it up to him, and that's what was the scariest.

"Johnny, I know how you feel. I do. But I don't love someone else. I love you. Do you hear me? You. You are my life. My soul. The part of me that feels like it could be ripped out at a moment's notice if you ever leave me. I haven't touched you because you're still weak in certain parts of your body, and I'm not willing to hurt you. And I don't say I love you, enough because it's how I was raised. We always showed our love, we never said it. But I'm going to try, Johnny. I'm damn sure going to try."

I said, knowing that I meant it. I was going to try. I was going to try and save my marriage. It was the only thing I could do. I didn't want to lose Johnny, and I sure as hell didn't want to lose the baby. He leaned in and kissed me softly. And then he smiled at me.

"I love you, Teddy. But get up. My legs hurt."

I nodded, knowing that he probably was hurting. I got up and started clearing away the dishes for him. It was then he brought up the road subject. And it was still a little testy with me, because I wasn't ready to go back on the road yet. I put the dishes in the sink and turned back to him to look at him.

"What did Stephanie say to you last night about going back on the road?"

"That I was pretty useless to her on the road this week. I have to call Linda in a week if I wanna go back on the road."

"I'm not kidding when I tell you that I think you should. It'd be easier than you sitting around here all day getting fat and watching Who's the daddy episodes of Maury. When's the last time you did a vigorous training session in the gym?"

"It's been awhile."

I said, admitting that to him. I nodded as Mickie came back into the kitchen. I was going to find out the sex of the baby, then I was going to put in some serious training time. It was time to get back into road shape.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

**John's POV**

*screams to nobody in particular* IT'S A GIRL! Teddy and I are so excited! I know Mickie's stoked for us too. We walked out of the doctor's office holding hands. Mickie wanted ice cream, so we drove to a nearby ice cream parlor and hung out. We were talking when Mickie piped up.

"So, you guys seemed like you were having a really intense discussion this morning, what happened?"

"We had a fight last night. I'm surprised you didn't hear it."

"Oh no, I heard it. Trust me, I heard it. I was hoping it would end, and you two would kiss and make up. But then I heard Teddy come upstairs. It was a bad one?"

"It was so bad, I left."

Ted said, not meeting my gaze. I think it was hard for us to still talk about it, because it was a touchy subject. He continued holding my hand, but I felt him tensing up a little. This was something he didn't want to talk about. I didn't blame him, especially since our discussion from this morning was still lingering between us. It wasn't fun living my life, but I liked it. I watched as Mickie's expression dropped. She rubbed her belly and sighed.

"You're not leaving us, again Ted. Even if it gets rough. All I know, is that you two need to kiss and make up."

"We did, sorta."

I chimed in. We had sort of made up, right? But at the same time, there were still some issues. But we'd work through them. They mostly centered around Ted going on the road. He'd be fine, I knew he would be. He looked at me and smiled. His hand, still holding mine under the table.

"Actually Mickie, I'm getting back into ring shape. Johnny's making strides in his recovery, and he's told me that I could go back. So, it's back to three hour a day gym days."

"What about the baby?"

"I'll be there when you go into labor. Don't worry Micks, we'll both be there."

I said, knowing that was true. We paid for our ice cream and headed out. We went walking down by the bay and hung out. A little while later, Mickie and I were sufficiently tired out, so we drove back home. Ted and I were in the kitchen talking when his cell phone rang.

"Hello?"

And I watched as he spoke. He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. He was furiously writing down instructions and I knew that he was headed out. He grinned as he hung up the phone.

"Babe! Oh my god, guess what!"

"No need to shout, Ted. I'm right fucking here. Now what?"

"That was Stephanie. They're giving me a singles push. I am to fly to Canada. They're giving me this shot! I've got to be at Raw tonight."

I stood up, leaning on my crutches to hug him. He was going to do big things. So, why did it feel like half of my heart was being ripped out?

**Ted's POV**

This is the call I was waiting for. I hugged Johnny and made it out of that kitchen like lightening. I headed up to the bedroom, aware that on his crutches John was trying to follow me. I heard him make it upstairs just as I'd finished packing my bags. I looked at him when he came in.

"I'm gonna miss you, Teddy."

"I know honey, me too. But Mickie'll be here. And I'll call you when I get to the arena safely."

I said, kissing his forehead and running out. I had no qualms about running towards my dreams. But the one thing keeping me here was the one person who was now struggling down the stairs. I only had like fifteen minutes to make it to the airport, and standing here with him wasn't getting me where I needed to be. I kissed him like it was my last time, kissing him and went out to the car. I pulled out of the driveway and made it to the airport with seconds to spare. I hadn't been thinking of John on the flight to Toronto, just that I'd wondered how I was going to make this whole scripting thing work, since I had no script from which to work. I sat on pins and needles the whole flight, because I was worried about what kind of a reception I would get when I got backstage. It was like my career was thought number one, and Johnny was thought number two. I arrived in Toronto, and smiled. I saw Stephanie's driver waiting for me, and I grinned. It was so nice to finally be accepted.

"Ted."

"Nice seeing you Stroehmeier. To the arena then?"

I asked, as he nodded. I texted John to let him know I'd landed and I was safe, and to watch Raw tonight to see me. I got to the Air Canada Centre and the first person I saw was Randy. I hadn't seen him since right before John and I had moved to San Francisco. His eyes brightened and he pulled me into a hug.

"Good seeing you man."

He said, pulling away a little. He looked around briefly and smiled. I think he was looking for Johnny and was satisfied when he didn't see him.

"Thanks Randy. Good seeing you too."

"Where's John?"

"Back in San Francisco. He's still not 100 percent. Plus he suffered a setback."

"Oh no, what happened?"

"He was going for a walk, and he took Riggs instead of focusing on his recovery, and Riggs got jumpy. He fell and broke his ankle."

"Dude, I'm sorry. Say, I'm looking for a travel companion. The Divas hate me, and everyone's paired up. I'd love to have you."

I smiled and nodded. I knew that I'd need the company with Johnny still off the road, and Randy was a great listener. I agreed and we walked inside together as he explained what I'd missed over these last couple of weeks. It was nice to have someone to talk to that wasn't Johnny. And I think I needed that. Randy and I related well together, and it would be nice to have that companionship on the road. I walked to what was going to be my locker room and grinned.

"Welcome back, Teddy."

Randy said, clapping me on my shoulder and walking away. And the first thing I thought was 'my thoughts exactly'.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

**Ted's POV**

I've called him several times, and have gotten no answer. That isn't like John to not answer. Hmm. Maybe he's sleeping, which is fine. I'll leave another voice mail and go hit the gym for a little bit of a workout before it closes at the hotel. So, I wait till it clicks and I hear the voicemail message.

"Hi, it's John. I'm not here. Leave a message at the beep. Beep. Naw, just kidding. Wait for it."

And I waited. I waited for the beep and then I started my message. I didn't know what else to tell him. I'd been leaving messages for him all night. He never replied back to my texts either, but I shook that off.

"Hey babe, it's me again. I'm going back to the hotel to get a bit of a workout in, then I'm gonna get in the shower and go to bed. Early call time tomorrow. I love you, so much."

I said, hanging up. I longed to hear him tell me that I did okay out there. But I didn't have that. I started gathering up my things when my cell rang. I looked at it and saw that it was Johnny. So, I did the worst thing I think I've ever done. I ignored his call. I continued gathering my stuff up, and listened to my ringtone indicate I had a voicemail. I could not, however ignore his voicemail. I punched in my password and listened to the message.

"Hey Teddy, it's me. Sorry I missed your calls. I was out grocery shopping with Mickie and picking up some baby things. Uhm, anyway, I'll be up for a little while if you want to give me a call. I love you."

And that was it. So he didn't watch Raw tonight, that's fine. I wasn't going to call him back tonight. I finished getting my stuff together and headed out of my locker room. Randy was standing there talking to one of the stage hands and he saw me come out of the locker room.

"Hey dude. We were just discussing hanging out tonight. Wanna come?"

"Nah man. Since I've been off the road with John, I've put on a couple of pounds, so I need to work it off. I'mma hit the gym at the hotel then catch some sleep. What time you heading out tomorrow?"

"Not till sometime after noon. I've got an interview early with the local NBC affiliate here. I'll come find you after the interview."

"Sounds good to me."

I said, heading out of the arena. I'm glad I'd rented a car before Randy and I left the airport. I drove back to the local Marriott and decided now was a good a time as any to call Johnny. So I called him and this time he answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey you. "

"Teddy."

He said, breathlessly. I missed him. I missed his smile, I missed his laugh. I missed him. I had to smile when he answered this time, because what I wanted more than anything was his acceptance.

"Hey. How was it?"

He knew I was talking about my appearance on Raw. I heard a slight pause, and then he sighed, and right then I knew he hadn't seen it. I shook my head slightly as I sat on a bench in the lobby, on the phone with him. I'd found the gym was twenty-four hours, so I could prolong this call, and then not yell. I wasn't mad. I wasn't mad at all.

"Teddy, I didn't see it."

"What? Why not?"

"Mickie and I went grocery shopping. Then I wanted to get a few things for the nursery. So we went nursery shopping."

"You went shopping for the nursery without me?"

"Yeah, I know and I'm sorry. It's just that Mickie wanted to walk. And she thought walking the mall would be fine. So as we passed the baby store in the mall, she went in. I'm not blaming her for shopping, because I started the shopping. It was just a few things."

"A few things? Johnny. I thought we said we'd wait until Mickie got closer to her due date to buy a few things."

"I know! I couldn't help it. I've never had a kid before. I got a little excited. I got all these pink clothes and the crib is beautiful!"

"You bought the crib…damn it Johnny, is there anything left for me to buy?"

"Sure. The car seats, the stroller. Some clothes."

I shook my head. Yeah, now I was a little angry that he'd done of this without me. It was like he'd deliberately waited until I'd left to do all of this. And now he's walking the mall? Really?

"Okay, so why the fuck are you walking the mall in the first place when you can hardly fucking walk yourself?"

"I thought I could do it. I did amazing, Teddy. I just wish you could've been there to see it. My physical therapist told me I was progressing in leaps and bounds. I wanted to try and see if my leg would hold up. And it did."

"Who carried the crib?"

"They delivered it to the house."

"Who's going to put it up?"

"You are…when you get home."

"The fuck I am. Look Johnny, I'm tired. I am going to talk about this with you in the morning. I'm going to work out, then taking a shower and going to bed. I'm traveling with Randy this week, so I'll be pretty easy to get a hold of."

"Teddy, you're mad."

"Yes. I am. I'm just a part of that baby's life as you are, Johnny. And the fact that you and Mickie are acting like mother and father. The last time I'd checked, we were the mother and father."

I said, hanging up. I knew that it was going to be hard for me to get over this. We were supposed to do everything together, and he was doing it with Mickie. I went to the gym to work off my anger. Randy came in a little while later and we started talking.

"We're having a baby."

"Congratulations man, boy or girl?"

"Girl."

"Got a name?"

"Melissa Dawn DiBiase."

"Rolls off the tongue. So, what's wrong?"

"He's been shopping for her. And I kinda missed it."

Randy listened as I spoke, and I thank god for that, because I needed someone to talk to.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

**John's POV**

I don't know what to say. He's angry over a little bit of shopping for the baby. I just…wow. I threw my phone onto the empty sofa next to me and growled. Mickie looked up at me from the book she was reading and noticed I was mad.

"What did he say?"

"He's pissed we went without him. And he's not putting the crib together."

"Well that's just plain rude. Who's going to do it?"

"I don't know."

I said, knowing how shallow we just sounded. I think Teddy was right though. I shouldn't be doing this stuff without him. I didn't realize what I did, I just did it. It's the story of my life, not thinking, just doing. It was freaky though, because I remember telling Mickie that I wished Ted were here with us. I sighed and called him back, but it went to voice mail.

"Hey honey, it's me. Look, I'm sorry. Please, just forgive me for this. I'm sorry."

I said, hanging up. I hobbled upstairs on the crutches and got an idea. It needed to be done. Mickie didn't need to be with us all the time, so I got the idea to fly to see him. Big bulky cast, bad leg and everything. I packed a bag and went downstairs as I was on the phone with the airline. Mickie looked at me.

"Where are we going?"

"We aren't going anywhere. I'm going to Canada to be with Teddy. I'll be gone a couple days. He and I have a few things to straighten out. Riggs doesn't need to be walked, just let him run around and pee. I'll take care of the rest when I come back."

I said, walking out. Things had gotten way too far out of control. Sure, it was technically still daylight here, and in Canada it was three hours later, but I had to get to him. I had to, before it was too late.

**Ted's POV**

Randy listened to me lament on the goings on in my marriage. We worked out together, we drank together, and we walked back to our respective hotel rooms together. It was then he looked at me.

"Okay, so would you like some advice?"

"Yes, please. I'll take anything you got."

"Okay…you need to leave here. Just leave. We're technically using tomorrow as a travel day. Go home and fix your marriage. This is a very stressful situation for everyone. I'm sure having a half handicapped husband isn't easy. Plus now with his broken ankle it makes life difficult. He did things without you. So what? Lorelai, my wife, she does things without me all the time. We have three kids."

"Ah yes, the triplets. How old are they now?"

"They'll be seventeen months tomorrow. Moot point, the point I'm trying to make is this. Teddy, you have to ask yourself. Is Johnny worth it? Is Mickie worth it? Is the baby-"

"Melissa."

"Is Melissa worth it? If the answer's yes, then my question to you buddy, is what the fuck are you still doing here? I'd pack my shit, and be on the next flight out. Because man, if I were in the situation you are. I'd lock me and Lorelai in a room, and have a knockdown drag out, hair puller until everything was settled."

He was right. It was suddenly like Randy was the moral compass that I needed. I don't know how that was possible, but it was. All I know is that the earth was moving, and I was headed towards the elevator. Randy was behind me, in seconds. He had my cell phone in his hand, and it was ringing. I grabbed it and answered, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Hi gorgeous!"

"Johnny. What are you doing up?"

I said, wondering why he was still awake. I had to get to my room to pack a bag so I could go home.

"I was heading to the airport."

"Why?"

"Because I'm coming to see you."

"No. Stay there. I'm coming to see you."

And it was a happy moment. I needed to see him, to hold him. To touch him. How did I made it through a single day, without seeing his face. And hearing his laugh. And knowing that he loved me. It was going to be hard flying from Toronto to San Francisco.

"Okay. I'll wait for your flight. Don't you have a house show?"

"It's a travel day tomorrow, or I should say today. Randy said I should come home and make things right…and I promise you Johnny, I'm going to make it up to you. Stay there, I'll text you when I land. Johnny?"

"Yes?"

"I love you."

I said, throwing stuff into a suitcase. I'd packed with lightening speed and dashed out of the room. I watched Randy walked past me and I waved. He smiled and waved back at me. I dashed out of the hotel and hailed a cab. I was leaving the car with Randy, and got in.

"Airport please."

"I love you too, Teddy. Be safe. And I'll see you when you get here."

He said, disconnecting the line. I sighed and put the phone in my pocket. It made me happy to know that things were finally going to go right. And that's what we needed. We needed things to go right, finally. It just felt like things were coming at us from all directions, and it just needed to stop.

And it would, soon enough.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

**John's POV**

I wasn't going to wait for him at the airport. I needed to do something to surprise him, so I got a taxi. I'm nowhere near driving capacity yet, and smiled. It was something that Teddy and I had once talked about. I called a florist from my cell and lied. I fibbed and told them I was handicapped. They'd delivered my flowers just as I'd arrived. There was something skeezy about the way Mickie accepted the flowers from him. I tipped the guy and sauntered inside on my crutches.

"Mickie!"

"In here. There was a flower delivery. Are they for me?"

"No. They're for Teddy. Now, scram. I've got stuff I have to do."

"What are you going to do?"

"Seduce my husband."

Mickie grinned and gave me two thumbs up. She started grabbing her coat and putting her shoes on. She watched as I started spreading petals everywhere. I know that he probably wouldn't touch me, but I could sure try. I hobbled around the living room, and up the stairs, and into the bedroom. I was going to prove my love to my husband once and for all. I was going to make sure he knew everything I was feeling. I set up the candles that were in the bedroom. I took some more out of the closet in the bathroom and led them down the stairs back into the living room. And then finally, set the stereo up to our song. I looked at the clock on the fireplace and waited. He'd texted me to tell me that he was taking a cab home. Finally, I took my shirt off and headed to the kitchen. I lit the candles and smiled. I watched as the cab pulled up, and watched as he headed into the house. I stood there, leaning on my one crutch, and waited for Teddy to come in. I watched as he opened the door, and poked his head in. He looked incredulous and looked at the address outside the house.

"Yep…this is my place."

He said, walking inside. I smiled at him, standing there in my shirtless state. He put his duffel bag on the floor by the door and looked at me, like he didn't know what was going on. Which was true, because he didn't.

"Hi."

"Hi Johnny. What's going on here?"

He asked as I cued up the music. It was the same song that we sang to each other all those months ago in Tampa. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but it wasn't. He listened to the song and gasped. It all suddenly became familiar to him. I hobbled over to him, on one crutch and smiled at him.

"I've decided that I'm going to seduce you. And if you don't accept my seduction, I completely understand. So come on, Teddy. Dance with me."

And he did. He danced with me. He was whispering the lines of the song in my ear, and when it ended, he put his forehead to mine. He kissed my cheeks, my nose, my mouth and my chin.

"Johnny…I love you. So much."

"I know you do, Teddy. And we'll work on you vocalizing it…now, just focus on the sensations you feel."

I told him. I started massaging his shoulders and he sat down on the sofa with me. He put his head on my shoulder and I put my head on top of his. We just sat there for awhile and enjoyed each other's company. It was a long time before either of us spoke, but when someone did, he did first.

"How did you do this?"

"I realized when we talked that we needed to save this. We needed to save us. So, I came home and did something nice. I didn't want to lose you, Teddy. I would fall apart at the seams if I did. You are my breath of fresh air, you know? It's like you told your parents. I'm the luckiest man on the planet. I do worry you'll fall out of love with me, but I know that won't happen. So, here we sit. We're alone. In this big ol' house, all by ourselves…so, what do we do?"

I asked, waiting for the response. He smiled, picked me up and carried me to our bedroom…where we didn't emerge for hours.

**Ted's POV**

When I came home and saw what Johnny did, I at first wondered is this really my house? Then I looked again at the address and realized I was at the right place. He had gone all out to prove his love to me. I was so overwhelmed in the moment that I didn't think, I just did. I shut down, not realizing that he might or might not have been hurting. When we went upstairs, it was like we were both on sensory overload. As I lay here in bed, watching Johnny sleep, I wonder if he's still hurting. I watched as he stirred and then rolled over to look at me.

"Morning sleepyhead."

"I should say the same to you. You've been sleeping like the dead, love. Are you hurting?"

"My bad leg is. My only leg, is getting stronger everyday. So I'm fine. I promise. So, what's for breakfast?"

"A protein shake."

"Be serious, love."

"I am serious. Protein shakes are the word of the day."

"I want bacon and eggs."

"Okay, turkey bacon and egg whites."

"Teddy! You're killing me here. You go back on the road and it's protein shakes and granola bars? We're humans, not rabbits. Please, please, please baby, please? Please can we have bacon and eggs?"

I couldn't resist him when he begged. I shook my head and laughed at him. I definitely couldn't resist him when he did that sexy pouty thing with his lips, either. I threw the covers back, both of us still naked from our escapades last night, and looked at him. I couldn't help but stare at him. I had a sexy husband, that much was true.

"What?"

He asked. I shook my head and smiled, heading into the bathroom to get dressed for the day. I heard him come into the bathroom behind me, and shut the door. He was walking a little better now, minus the crutches. I turned to him and smiled.

"How about a Johnny and Teddy day today?"

I asked him. He smiled, and I could tell by the look in his eyes he was all for Johnny/Teddy day. I had plans. Plans that would make that smile stay plastered on his face for awhile.

"I'm all about a Johnny and Teddy day."

"Well okay. Get dressed and meet me downstairs in ten. We're going to have fun today!"

I said, knowing that today was going to be about us. And it was the happiest I've felt in a long time. And I wanted to know what was going to go wrong today. I was soon going to get my answer…


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

**Ted's POV**

I headed downstairs and saw Mickie sitting at the table. I rolled my eyes at the sight and then smiled politely at her. She was suddenly talking about something that I wasn't really paying attention to. I swore I thought she literally just exploded into a big ball of energy when she was there. I heard what she said towards the end of the conversation.

"…so, what are our plans for today? I'm thinking we should go miniature golfing. Or to the movies. Or bowling. Or-"

"How about you just shut the hell up, Mickie. Please? For thirty fucking seconds. I beg you!"

Mickie looked shocked. So did Johnny. I hadn't realized that he'd come into the kitchen. It was too early in the morning for me to be around Mickie and her infectiousness. I didn't want that, I didn't have my first cup of coffee yet. I went to the coffeepot, poured my cup and drank it.

"Teddy. You need to apologize to Mickie."

"No! It's eight o'clock in the morning. I haven't yet had my coffee, and she's jabbering about something so unimportant. Mickie, please. I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I didn't mean it, but you have to realize that sometimes our world doesn't always revolve around you. When we went into this agreement with you, about being the surrogate for us, we had agreed that you'd have your own life, and we'd have ours. Then it went to you living with us. Now you're underfoot. All. The. Time. Can't Johnny and I have just one moment alone?"

I didn't know why it came out the way it did. But it just kinda did. I remembered thinking it, but didn't remember saying it. And suddenly, Mickie busted out crying. I shook my head, knowing that I was being an insensitive prick. I slammed my coffee cup down and grabbed my keys off the key holder by the front door.

"Are you coming Johnny?"

I called out to him. I waited for him to come through the doorway into the living room. I could see him squatting down in front of Mickie, and he was stroking her face and wiping away her tears. This made me insanely jealous, suddenly and I couldn't understand why. I waited in the doorway a few minutes more and looked at him. He finally walked out into the living room to me.

"Teddy, can I speak with you alone, upstairs please?"

John asked. I nodded. I watched as he navigated the stairs on his crutches with ease. He'd been doing it long enough that it became like second nature to him. I didn't know what he was going to do when the cast came off. He'd have to walk again on two legs eventually. We made it to the bedroom and he shut the door.

"What?"

"You hurt her feelings Teddy, that's what. She just wanted to hang out with us today, but no…you had to be a prick and yell at her. Teddy, she's doing us a favor. And you, being an insensitive prick, isn't helping her. Now, I don't think I wanna go out with you today."

"Come on Johnny, I had plans! Please? Just go out with me. We don't get this opportunity all that often. If I go downstairs and apologize to her sincerely, will you please, please go out with me?"

I watched him weighing his options. Part of me was hoping he'd say yes, because I had amazing plans for us today. I wanted to continue what happened last night, the love, not the sex. Though that would be amazing too. He looked at me and sighed. I had this whole big thing planned for us today.

"Yes. If you go downstairs and sincerely apologize to Mickie, then I will go with you and do your fun stuff today."

I hugged him and walked downstairs. He followed me and I went into the kitchen where Mickie was still sitting. She was reading a magazine and I went and sat across from her. John sat next to me, and I looked at Mickie. She looked up at us, and I started speaking.

"Mickie, I am sorry. I didn't realize how much my comments hurt you. It's been a stressful couple of months for us. So, I am sorry."

"You're forgiven. So, what's on our agenda for today!"

She asked. I didn't have the heart to tell her that it was just John and I today. I stumbled, looking for an easy explanation. Suddenly, John piped up and I didn't know what he was going to say, but I was shocked as he spoke with her.

"Mickie, you're going to stay here today. Ted and I don't get enough time together, and we want to continue our blissful day today. You know how much we love you, but with Teddy going back on the road, and the baby coming in four months, we need some alone time. Can you handle that?"

Mickie nodded and stood up. She said something about going to see a movie with some new friends from the neighborhood and went upstairs to take a shower. Johnny looked at me and smiled softly.

"So, what's on the agenda today, love?"

"Well, I was going to say miniature golfing, but your ankle is broken, so we couldn't do that."

"We could totally miniature golf! I mean, I could try! It would be fun to try."

And I nodded. Seeing a man, who can barely stand hit a ball with a putter. So, we got everything together and headed out to the car. Johnny got in and smiled. I knew this was going to be a fun day. He strapped himself in, and I pulled out of the driveway. We drove down to the miniature golf course and I watched. He got a putter and a pink ball. I picked a green one, and we were off. The first one was a snake. It was then Johnny started speaking.

"Look honey, Randy's here!"

He said, pointing to the snake and laughing. I lost it after that. I started laughing so hard that when I hit the ball, I hit it too hard and it went flying. I don't know where it landed, but I walked over to John and wrapped my arm around him.

"That's the viper alright…but now I lost my focus. How am I supposed to miniature golf with my husband if my ball is halfway across the golf course?"

I smiled, and John produced another golf ball from his pocket and gave it to me. I dropped it on the ground, and hit it. It went in the back of the snake and came out the front. I watched as it sailed easily into the hole.

"Hole in one."

I said. Johnny laughed and hit his ball two more times, getting it into the hole. It went like this all day between him and I, until we had two unexpected and uninvited guests.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

**John's POV**

Mickie showed up. I'm sure Teddy wasn't happy with that. Hell, I wasn't happy with that. But Mickie wasn't alone. No, she wasn't. She had Eve with her. Ted rolled her eyes and we both wondered what Eve was doing in San Francisco. I knew that there was an ulterior motive, and I'd call her on it later.

"Fancy meeting you two here!"

Mickie squealed. I knew what she was doing. She was challenging us, and I didn't like it one bit. We headed to the next hole, which was a dinosaur. It was good for us, because we could hide behind the dinosaur without being seen. It was like our date was sufficiently ruined because Mickie and Eve came up. I looked at Ted and he was pretty pissed off. If anyone knew him well I did, and I could tell.

"Teddy….do you wanna leave?"

"No. We've got a lot to do today, and we're gonna do it. So, we're going to stand here in front of our old friend, Ric Flair and hit the balls around. We came out for a date, and we're not going to let Mickie do it."

He called the dinosaur Ric Flair. That's a funny thing. Cause Ric Flair is still wrestling. We hit the balls a couple minutes later, when Eve came up behind Teddy, and pulled him into a hug. I dropped the club in complete shock, and looked at Mickie. I tugged Teddy's hand and broke the embrace right away. We needed to hightail it out of there and fast, before it came to blows. I walked him out of the mini golf course and to the car. He got behind the wheel and started steaming.

"She brought Eve."

"I know honey. I didn't know they were friends. Come on, what else do you want to do? We can go have lunch."

I watched him nod. He needed to calm down before we confronted Mickie at home. It was going to be very tough, because she was the surrogate, but Mickie was also aware of everything that Teddy and Eve had gone through. He punched the steering wheel and looked at me.

"Let's go to lunch. I know a good Mexican place."

He said, driving off. I couldn't talk to him when he was this way, I couldn't do it. He wasn't in a good place right now. He was so furious. We got to the restaurant and sat down. We were enjoying each other's company and it was the way it should be. He wasn't as angry now, but he needed to vent.

"Honey, you wanna talk about it?"

"Yes. I don't know what Mickie was thinking doing that, but let me tell you what, she put a damper on the day. I don't know why she's so clingy all of a sudden, but it's going to be talked about when we get home. Obviously after all these months, Eve can't take no for an answer. And Mickie, egging her on? Really?"

He was frustrated and mad and sad and just everything. I couldn't let anything happen to him. I felt the overwhelming urge to protect him. And I was going to do that. I reached for his hand and took it, our wedding bands, and our love connecting us.

"Teddy, listen to me. In this world, it's you and me. And then when Melissa gets here, it'll be her too. It's about us. Mickie will be gone in four and a half months. And please, don't worry. The baby will be here before you know it, and Mickie will be gone."

Teddy smiled, and I realized that he needed to hear that. He patted my hand and then lifted it to kiss it softly.

"You know how to make me smile, Johnny. And that's why I fucking love you."

He said, as our meal came. We ate and discussed things for the baby's room. We knew that we needed things still, like a changing table, and a few other things. He smiled at me and motioned for the check.

"Let's go baby shopping!"

"Teddy, do you mean it?"

"I do!"

He said, knowing that this would make up for Mickie and me shopping together. We paid, went out to the car and headed to Babies R' Us. We walked in and grabbed a shopping cart and looked around. Teddy headed straight to the baby clothes. He saw a huge stuffed puppy laying on the floor and picked it up and put it in the cart. I just looked at him and shook my head.

**Ted's POV**

I went crazy in that store. Johnny and I were so funny. I had found this mobile to hang over the crib, and I kid you not it was of WWE superstars. I had put it in the shopping cart and proceeded on. We were just about to turn into the aisle for changing tables when Johnny took it out.

"What's this?"

"It's a superstar mobile. It's got you, me, Cena, Randy, and Paul and a few others."

He put it back on the shelf and proceeded on. I picked it back up and put it back in the shopping cart. I liked it, and I was keeping it. I was adamant about it. So, I knew he'd get back at me later for it, but do you think I cared? No. We walked down the aisle as he picked up the mobile again and started looking at the back of it. It apparently had a superstar list on it.

"Honey, do you really want Cody looking at the baby?"

"Johnny…Cody's our friend. Be nice."

"Or 'Taker?"

"What's wrong with Mark?"

"I just think it's creepy to have a superstar mobile. We want to put Melissa to sleep, not scare her."

I laughed. I still thought it was cute, so I kept it. He picked out a changing table that was a solid oak finish. It was a beautiful changing table, and it matched the crib, perfectly. I had to laugh at us. We were a gay couple. And we were shopping for our daughter. Life was looking up for us. We were happy. Johnny's cast was coming off in a couple weeks, his legs were getting stronger, and things were going right. When I went back on the road a couple of days later, I finally discovered the actual reason behind all the things that were going wrong in our life, and trust me…it wasn't pretty when I confronted the people behind it.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

**Ted's POV**

Those two days were the most magical of my life. Minus the whole Mickie thing, which was disastrous unto itself. I remember Mickie saying that she wasn't aware of the whole thing with Eve and myself, but John reamed her and said that he'd told her about it. Now it was time for me to get back on the road. John and I stood out by my car and talked for a little bit.

"Don't go."

He said, sitting in the car with me, his now booted foot sticking out the door. His head in my lap. I was stroking his hair softly and just enjoying what was left of our time together.

"Aww…come on now, Johnny. You know I have to."

"I know. And soon enough, I'll be with you. My legs are getting stronger everyday, my cast is now a boot. My boot will come off, I'll get back in the gym. And plus we've got the baby coming."

"It's all going good for us, finally. So…get out of the car, Johnny. So I can go to the airport."

Johnny reluctantly sat up in the car. He leaned in and kissed me softly and passionately. A kiss that made me just want to go back inside with him and lock the world away. But I couldn't. I got out of the car again and walked around to it. He was standing there, leaning against the car and I took his face in my hands.

"I promise you, I'll call you when I land in Seattle, love okay? I love you."

I watched as he put his head down and tried to hide his eyes from me. I shook my head and pulled his face up to look at me. He was trying not to cry, and he looked so damned cute. I hugged him and kissed his neck before whispering.

"I'm rooming alone…maybe tonight, you'll get your phone surprise. Now, go inside. Eat something, please? And remember how much I love you."

I watched as he kissed me back, mumbled 'I love you, too' and that was it. I laughed and then got back in the car and drove off. I made it to the airport and hopped on a plane. I was debating calling him from the airport phone and calling Johnny, but knew better than to do so. I relaxed until we landed at the airport. I went to the hotel and put my stuff down. I got in the shower, because I was hot and sweaty, and had a male situation to deal with, and then got dressed and went to the arena. I was walking down the line of locker rooms, when I heard two people fighting. The female voice, was Stephanie, but the other voice was clearly male. So, I stood there listening. The door was open so I listened.

"So, what you're saying is you're setting DiBiase up to take a fall?"

"Sure. He's a top WWE Superstar, married to a man…who is also one of our most popular WWE Superstars. If that gets out, WWE's fucked. It's my job to see that doesn't happen. We set these obstacles in their way. Why do you think I hit John Hennigan's car? Why do you think I had my husband assault him in the parking lot of Hennigan's hospital? Because I want to get into his bed? Oh god, he's hot sure, but he's not my type. Neither's Hennigan come to think of it. I did this to protect the company. And planting Mickie and Eve in their house was genius! Now with Mickie reporting that they're at odds all the time, and that they may crack. It's a shame Mickie's pregnant…"

I was seeing red. I couldn't call Johnny with this information, so I did the only thing I knew how to do. I made a recording of their conversation to forward to Johnny after it was over. Little did I know that it was far from over.

"Mickie's pregnant?"

"When they were looking for a surrogate, they'd asked Lisa Varon. But she'd gone to TNA Wrestling at the time. I'd heard they were looking for one, and I suggested to Mickie that she volunteer. Normally these surrogate things take time, but she must be fertile as hell, because the egg and the semen met up right away. Now she's expecting the DiBiase/Hennigan spawn. She needs to get out of that house, as soon as possible. Maybe even convince her that taking the spawn from them is the best idea. So, are you in? Do you wanna help me protect WWE from Hennigan and DiBiase and their mutant spawn?"

I was definitely seeing red by now. She called my daughter, 'spawn'. And Mickie was in on the whole thing. And Eve too. Of course, Mickie and Stephanie are best friends, and Mickie would do anything for her. Including infiltrate the enemy camp. I saved it as a sound file on my cell phone and reminded myself to save it later. I wanted to know who was with her in that office, and I was soon going to find out. I walked away and hid around a corner, not waiting for myself to be caught. I watched as Adam Copeland walked out of her office and shook her hand. He was nodding and headed towards me. I knew he couldn't see me yet, so I did the only thing I could do. I faked a phone call. You know, put the phone up to my ear and started talking to nobody. I watched until he walked by, waving at me as he did. Then continued on my journey towards my locker room. I made it in, and threw my gym bag down. I found the file on my cell and made sure I could send it as a message. Then I did. To John.

'_Honey, _

_I heard everything. Straight from Stephanie's mouth. Don't trust Mickie'_

_I love you, _

_Teddy.'_

And I waited as the file connected then sent. I deleted all of my messages on my cell phone after that, the file included and set my phone down. I just needed to distance myself from this situation, and fast because if I didn't, I was going to murder Stephanie. I saw my phone there, and waited. There was no way he was getting back to me right away. I decided that someone could come in here and try and take my phone. So I was going to wait. Wait on Johnny's reaction, and stew as to what I could do to get even with Stephanie.

**John's POV**

I was watching 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' with Mickie when my cell phone went off. It was vibrating in my pocket and I took it out and noticed that it from Teddy. I got up from the sofa and headed out into the backyard. It was a spot that Teddy and I sat in and it made things so much better. I read his text and took my phone off of vibrate to listen to the accompanying message. I gasped. Hearing Stephanie admit everything was shocking. I immediately shot off a reply message to Teddy, wondering how much longer this charade could go on.

'_Teddy,_

_I was with Mickie watching Rocky Horror. I'll keep an eye on her now. Thanks for the heads up. Please don't kill Stephanie, yet. Keep a cool head. Call me later. I love you always_

_Johnny."_

And I didn't know how to go back in there to face Mickie. Not knowing everything now. It made me crazy to know how someone so sweet and caring on the outside, could be such a vindictive bitch. I watched the sliding glass door as she headed towards it, and opened the door.

"Come on silly! They're getting ready to do the Time Warp."

Mickie said, oblivious to the fact that we knew. I walked back inside with her, vowing that she wouldn't hurt me or my family anymore. And I knew right then and there, that she needed to be asked….but I wouldn't do it alone.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

**Ted's POV**

I had requested a closed door meeting with Stephanie alone. I needed to sort this out once and for all. It needed to be done and over with by the time I left for my trip overseas. We were doing the overseas trip next week, and it wasn't something I wanted to do, leave Johnny with Mickie alone, but I couldn't bring him with me. Though I was seriously starting to consider it now, because of this whole thing with Stephanie. She shut the door and then walked to her desk and sat down.

"So Ted, what made you request this meeting with just me?"

She asked. I pulled out my cell phone, and pushed a button, listening to her voice come through the speakers of his cell phone. I watched her expression go from shock to anger to…pride. I wasn't shocked. Of course Stephanie was proud of her work. She looked at me and couldn't believe I had this information on her. Then she smiled. I knew that smile. That was her business smile.

"I believe you're messing with my family."

"Your family? Mickie is my best friend, and yes, I stuck her there. But that in no way meant the pregnancy was supposed to take! She was supposed to come in between you two."

"Yes Stephanie, but the thing you don't know about Johnny and I, is that we're solid. We've been through so much together him and me. And if I lost him, I'd be lost too. I know that you don't get this, but you can't help who you fall for. Wasn't Paul dating someone when you two hooked up?"

"That is besides the point! This is about two men who have fallen for each other! We have several homosexual couples in the locker room, but they're not as open as you two are."

"Bullshit Stephanie! Bullshit! And do you know why? Because you like Matt Korklan. Matt and Josh Harter are happy, and I do NOT see you dragging his sorry ass in here, and he's the top cruiserweight on this roster! So yeah, do you see where I'm going with this! It's because you're jealous. I've got friends on this roster that support me! And I don't need you! I don't need your support. If you're going to mid-card me. Mid-card me. But don't take your issues out on Johnny and I! I am sorry if this makes the company look bad. But I'm not going to divorce my husband. Now, I have spoken to your mother, and she has assured me that my position in this company is safe. And that's all, Stephanie. I'm going home. I'm going home to get my husband. He's been cleared to start working out. And you know what, I'm going to have him on the road when I go overseas. And I'm not mad at Mickie. I'm pissed at you. But it's cool. Mickie'll be chucked out on her ass when the time comes. So yeah, that's all."

I said. Clearly proud of myself for standing up to Stephanie. She was pissed that I'd gone to her mother and secured my spot on the roster. I hadn't actually gone to Linda, but I had called her office, and her secretary said she'd get back to me. I walked out of her office and then my cell phone rang. It was Linda, actually and I wanted to take this call.

"Hello?"

"Hi Ted, it's Linda McMahon, sorry I didn't get back to you earlier. I want to wish you and John Hennigan a very heartfelt congratulations on your marriage and impending fatherhood."

"Thank you, Linda. I actually wanted to speak with you about that. Someone within the company is actually trying to sabotage my marriage to John, and I have proof of it. I've got to be in San Francisco tonight because John is getting his boot off tomorrow, but then we're flying east for a well deserved rest. So, do you think I could come by your office tomorrow?"

"Sure. I'll be here until four. I've got a couple of meetings tomorrow anyway, so we'll talk about it. Then bring your proof. Because this person will get severe ramifications."

"Thank you Linda."

And I hung up. I called John a little while later and told him we had a meeting with Linda tomorrow. He was happy, and sounded sleepy. I let him sleep and went off to do Raw. I finished up early enough to be able to fly out early enough. I went back to the hotel, then to the airport. I noticed I'd had two missed calls while I was on TV. Though I'd had my cell in my pocket on TV, and had felt the vibrations on my leg, but chose not to look at them till now. The first was a text from my mom. I hadn't called her in awhile, and she wanted to know what was going on with me. I'd have to call her. Then another from John. It sounded urgent.

"_Love,_

_Mom called. Said to call her. It's important._

_Johnny."_

So, I did what he asked. I called my mom. I listened as the phone rang and rang and rang, and then finally my dad picked up. Which was shocking, because my mom always answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Dad. I just got a text from Johnny saying mom called. What's wrong?"

"Brett's been in an accident. He's fine, but his knee's messed up. We hadn't been able to get a hold of you, because you're at TV. And Johnny's not on the road. How was he?"

"He's doing great dad, thanks for asking. He's had a minor set back however. He broke his ankle close to a month ago and it was a clean break. So, the doctor told me that it wasn't going to take long to heal. I've got a plane to catch. So I'll call you soon. Give Brett a hug for me."

I said, hanging up. I made it from Seattle to San Francisco okay and then drove home. I pulled up to the house and saw John sitting in the drivers seat of his car. He was crying. I immediately got out of my car and ran over to his. He was in hysterics. It wasn't pretty. I've never seen him this upset before. I opened the car and heard him muttering to himself.

"I need to drive…"

Was all he kept repeating. I sighed and shook him lightly. I didn't want to hurt him. He looked at me and suddenly faced me and found his way to my arms. Not that I disputed this, but it scared me.

"Johnny, baby what's wrong?"

"I needed a Diet Pepsi. Mickie was being all crazy and yelling and stuff. And I thought I could do it. I thought I could drive to the store. It wasn't that far away. Then I started the car and pulled it halfway down the driveway. All I kept seeing was Stephanie's car coming at me…and I put it into park…I just wanted a Diet Pepsi."

"I know baby, I know…why don't you go inside. And I'll go get you a Diet Pepsi, okay?"

He nodded. I watched him go into the house. He was having a panic attack over driving. I swear on my life, I was going to kill Stephanie McMahon. I drove to the nearest convenience store and bought all the Diet Pepsi they had in stock. Twenty four packs, twelve packs, two liter bottles, just so Johnny didn't have to try and leave again. I carried all of this stuff inside and knew that things were going to be different once Linda knew.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

**John's POV**

**Couple months later….**

Wow, so much happened. That panic attack took a lot out of me. It took me a full two weeks to get over it. I know two weeks doesn't seem like much to you, it was a lot to me. Teddy super stocked the house with Diet Pepsi so I didn't have to leave to drive anywhere. But Teddy was amazing and sat with me as I got over my fear of driving…I'm sure you guys are curious as to what happened with everything, so let's go back a couple months and show you….

We headed to WWE Headquarters to speak with Linda about Stephanie. By this time, Mickie still had no idea that we knew. Just that we were setting her up for a fall. Teddy had taken care of Adam, and actually realized that Adam was on our side and wasn't trying to betray his newfound friendship with us. We went to Linda's office and smiled. We all hung out and waited, and then finally her secretary, Alicia looked up at us.

"You three can go in now, Mrs. McMahon is expecting you."

And so we did. Teddy still had the file on his phone and we all three sat in Linda's office and Teddy took the reigns when it came to this whole thing.

"Linda, it has been brought to my attention that someone major within this company has been trying to sabotage my relationship with my husband. I have the proof on my cell phone here as a file. May I play it for you?"

"Go ahead."

She said, and Teddy fiddled nervously with the buttons on his phone. I took it from him silently and brought it up. Suddenly, Stephanie's voice filled the room, and Mickie was shocked. She gasped and put her head in her hands and started to cry. After all that she'd done for us, and this is the thanks she got, I know. But she hurt us first. Teddy and I watched as Linda's eyes darkened and her expression changed. She then looked at Mickie.

"Miss James? How do you explain your part?"

"Stephanie wanted me to come in between Johnny and Teddy. She would pay me five hundred thousand up front, and then another five hundred thousand dollars after Ted and Johnny were split. Then I got pregnant. Stephanie was adamant that I leave, and take the baby with me. But I know how much John and Ted want this kid. So, I swore to myself I'd see it through till the end. And I am. Seeing it through till the end."

And then she continued crying. Ted and I felt for her at that moment, to be placed in an awkward situation such as that. Teddy patted her knee and I rubbed her shoulders and sighed. It sucked for Mickie, but she wasn't to blame. It was Stephanie. Linda dismissed Mickie and sat with the two of us. She then called Stephanie into the office. We waited, and Linda spoke while we waited.

"I need to tell you how truly sorry I was about what Stephanie did. And I also need you to know that Stephanie will be punished. She had no right to play God with someone's career. She's turning out so much like Vince, that sometimes it's a scary thing. This is why Shane no longer works here. Because Vince is grooming Stephanie to take his place."

She said, just as Stephanie stepped into the office. Ted and I slid over, so she could sit in a vacant chair. She nodded to us, curtly then focused her attention on Linda.

"You needed to see me, Mom?"

"Yes. Mr. DiBiase, and Mr. Hennigan-DiBiase are here today, because they have brought something to my attention. Would you like to know what it is?"

She asked. Stephanie looked like she could be doing a million and one other things. I started up the file on the phone and looked at her. As did Linda. A million emotions flickered on Stephanie's face. She then settled on anger. The file died out, and then Linda started in on her.

"What do you say, Stephanie? Is this true."

"Absolutely. But that was supposed to be a private conversation between Adam Copeland and myself."

"Stephanie Marie McMahon, you listen to me and you listen to me good, understand? You are an employee of World Wrestling Entertainment, Incorporated. You do NOT reserve the right to play God with someone's relationship. At all. You cannot help who you fall for. And I know for a fact those were your words to Vince when you and Paul got together. So, I want you to do something for me. Apologize to these two men, and pack up your office. Because after today, you are no longer an employee in this company. You've been pushing people out for years. Started with your sister and her husband, then your brother, now the Hennigan-DiBiase's. And I won't stand for it. Pack your office, you're fired."

Stephanie looked at Linda, and then back to us. She had this incredulous look on her face like she was shocked that this was happening to her. She growled and then made an exasperated sound, got up and marched out of the office. Linda looked at us again and apologized once more before excusing us from her office. We weren't in any trouble, and sure it sucked that Stephanie was losing her job, but we just wanted the drama over….

**Present day…**

So, with Stephanie fired, and us still currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment, and her husband still employed by WWE, we were public enemies number one. It was soon mandated that anyone associated with the McMahon family was to not interact with the members of the Raw and Smackdown rosters who are in legally (or non legal in our case, in most states) binding relationships are to be left alone. So we were fine. One day, sitting backstage, we got a phone call from Mickie. She wanted to apologize for what she'd done to us. We accepted her apology and we had decided it was okay for her to move back into the house. It just seemed like everything was going well. I'm on the road two days a week, Ted's on the road two days a week. We alternate staying with Mickie while she's finishing out the remainder of her pregnancy.

"Johnny?"

"Yes Mickie?"

"It's time. My water just broke."


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: It's been a blast writing this! But alas the time has come to finish it! So, enjoy the last chapter. It's been real!**

**Chapter 38**

**Ted's POV**

World, we'd like you to meet our daughter, Melissa Dawn DiBiase. She was born at 11:55pm on April 10, 2010 in San Francisco California. She has Johnny's hair color, and my eye color. I know that's weird, but it's so true. She's got nothing of Mickie. We paid Mickie handsomely for our daughter, and we went to the nursery and just stood there. We were holding hands and we were staring at our daughter and Johnny started talking.

"We've come full circle Teddy. We've fought everyone. WWE, our family, our enemies. The world. We have a beautiful daughter. An amazing house. Friends. A stinky dog-"

"Hey! Lay off Riggs! He tries!"

I said. And we were happy. We were happy for now…and forever. And that was our love story. Melissa, Johnny and I. It was a happy ending.

**Johnny's POV**

Yep. That's it. Story's over. Baby's born…we're happy! No! I'm kidding. I know that it's going to be an obstacle raising her. We're two men with a daughter. Sure, when Lissa gets older, we're going to explain to her that she has two daddies. And Aunt Mickie. But that's it. Mickie decided to move to Nashville, to pursue her country music dream. But she wanted updates on her niece. So we're giving that to her. We've also asked the newly coined Mr. and Mrs. Cody Garret Runnels godparents. Cody and Gail got married. We're so happy for them.

And this completes the journey….we don't know where we're going, or who we're going to be meeting, but we do know one thing. When we're together, it's right. When we're apart. It's wrong…I feel like we've come full circle. Through all the pain, the tragedy, the drama. It's all come down to the little girl laying in the bassinet on the other side of the glass. She's all that matters now…to both of us. Sure, the business is good, but Melissa's better….and that's what makes us happy.

-The end

A/N. It had to be short. There was no way to make it long….hope you enjoyed it! I did.


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